Two Go
by Dakiri
Summary: Hikaru is told, as a young child, to be more respectful to elders. How would that affect his path in the Go world and his relationship with others? What if he was also a little more outspoken with himself? He plays for two.
1. Chapter 1

I have much of the entire story written, so the chapters will all be uploaded as they are written and edited in a short period of time of about a week. All characters do not belong to me, and are written for entertainment and practice purposes only.

I will warn you now, I don't really have a plot-driven story, but that of character development, literary if you will. Without further ado, please enjoy!

* * *

"Hikaru, there's one thing you always need to remember," an old lady told a young child as she set a few cookies and a cup of tea on the table. "If you are kind to your elders, then the elders to you will be kind to you. It's as the saying goes, if you want to be respected, you respect others first."

"Yes, grandma," Hikaru said, pouting, watching her eat the cookies. "I said I was sorry."

"You need to mean it, boy!" she said, slapping him about the head.

"Yes, grandma," he said, smartening himself. He bowed to her, "I promise I will be more respectful to my elders."

"That's much better. I guess there's hope for you yet. Here, have a cookie."

Delighted at the treat, he accepted it, thanking her.

* * *

'_Another long day at school,_' Touya Akira thought as got off the train station and began making his way to the Go salon his father owned. '_Before I do my homework, it'll be good to review the third game of the Ouza league. To take my mind off other things, of course…_'

A shout interrupted his thoughts, and he looked for the cause of the disturbance. A boy about his age with a duo-hair color was shouting meaningless words to thin air, in public.

"I told you Sai, I will let you play, just let me find that damn place! Just wait a minute while I try to examine this map!" the boy said, pointing to the piece of paper in his hand.

'_Who on earth is he talking to? Better get away from this weirdo…' _Akira thought, backing away from the boy before he got spotted. He really did not want to be asked where whatever was.

"Quit it, Sai! If you don't shut up, I won't let you play Go!"

'_Hah?_' Akira thought, finding more reason to get away from the public spectacle the boy was causing.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, Sai, now…" the boy muttered, resuming his examination of the map. Akira quickly made his way to the Go salon, and he had a sinking feeling that this was not the last time he would see the boy. His father's Go salon was the only one in this neighborhood, and deeply hope that the boy was in the wrong part of Tokyo.

Half an hour into reviewing the game, he heard a commotion at the reception desk. It was the same voice he heard, and the sinking feeling in his stomach grew. He could even barely pay attention to what he was reviewing. '_This is a lost cause,_' he thought, putting the stones back in the _goke_.

Getting up, he went over to the reception desk.

"I'll play him," Akira spoke up after listening to the boy and Ichikawa-san.

"Oh, well, but he…"

"I understand, he never played Go before, right Ichikawa-san?" Akira asked, smiling. _'I'll crush his hopes, so his weirdness won't infect my Go world…_'

"Yeah, yeah," the boy said, "where you wanna sit?"

"You need to pay—" she began.

"Oh, it's no worries," Akira said, looking at the panic stricken face on the boy. "It's his first time, after all."

"Well, if you insist…" she said, frowning.

Sitting down at the same _goban_ Akira had occupied before, Akira introduced himself.

"My name is Touya Akira, have you ever held a stone before?"

"Oh, um, sort of? My grandpa gave up after my first turn though…" the boy replied, frowning. After a glance at Akira, the boy got the hint. "Oh! My name is Shindou Hikaru. Sorry for my bad manners, heh, heh."

The idiot boy scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Pleased to meet you," Akira said, bowing. Shindou did the same. "Do you want to place stones, or learn how to play?"

"Uh…" Shindou looked to his left for a long moment. "I guess it will be good to have the basics down first before I learned how to place the stones the right way."

'_What a strange boy_,' Akira thought as he began teaching the boy the basics of Go. During the teaching lesson, Akira noticed that Shindou's attention would always invariably be drawn to his left, as though he was looking at something. Then, somehow, his understanding on some of the basics was mastered even more quickly whenever Akira's explanation had not been enough.

"Can we play a real game now?" the boy asked a half hour later.

"I think it is too soon… you learned the basics for only a short while."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm quite confident that I can play a game now," Shindou said, grinning.

'_That cheek,_' Akira thought. '_Well, no matter, I'll crush his hopes._'

Then they played their first game.

Not an hour later, Akira felt the heart-gripping shock taking hold of him. There was no way out of this trap the boy had somehow set before him. This boy, Shindou, had completely dominated him, despite his best efforts. Not paying attention to the boy leaving the Go salon, Akira stared at the game before him. Where had he gone wrong? Did he go too light on Shindou?

"Akira-kun" Ichikawa asked, approaching him. "How was the game? You won, didn't you?" He simply shook his head. "Ah, took it easy on him?" she said, chuckling, then looked at the boy for a moment then walked away.

If it was any normal kid, he might have played _shidougo,_ but, Shindou wasn't normal. Clenching his fist, Akira had to acknowledge the skill that existed on the board before him. Despite the weirdness Shindou exhibited, he played wonderful Go, and despite himself, he wanted to play more of this Go with the strange boy.

"Shindou Hikaru… we'll meet again. If you don't show yourself again soon, I'll come find you!" he muttered to himself as he began putting the stones away into their respective _goke_. He began reviewing the game he had just played.

* * *

"What's this place?" Sai asked, looking around at a Go event. Hikaru grinned. "It's Children's tournament of Go!"

Sai shouted an exclamation of surprise, looking around more closely. "Hikaru, let's go there!" Pleased that Sai is content, and therefore, the depression did not spill into his psyche. That _really_ got old fast. Walking with Sai, he saw the kids play, and Hikaru's interest was piqued in Go. '_Wow, Sai, I thought only old geezers played!_'

"Hikaru," Sai scolded. "That's not very respectful. "How do you think people are able to carry on the tradition of playing Go for thousands of years? This shows me that, just as a thousand years go, so it will be like this a thousand years from now."

'_Huh, I had no idea… after seeing two places filled to the brim with old geezers, there's actually kids playing Go?_' he thought, watching a board close by him. He had to have to give it to the kids here.

He heard Sai make a comment on another board and Hikaru examined for a second and winced when the young kid played a poor hand. "Ah, so—"

"Hikaru! Don't say anything!" Sai yelled, interrupted him, and Hikaru winced. "You'll ruin their game!"

The boys gave him a curious glance before resuming their game.

'_Right… let's move on,_' Hikaru thought, seeing looks of displeasure among the adults. _'You can stay here and watch. I'm going to explore a little._'

"Okay, Hikaru," Sai said, sounding content to watch the games in the tournament. Hikaru explored the convention and saw a small-secluded area filled with computers. Curious, he came closer to find out why there were computers at a Go tournament.

"—and if you click here, you have passed your turn, ending the game…" a person was explaining to an old man. Hikaru listened to the person explaining the computer for a while.

"Are there strong players on the Net Go?" Hikaru asked.

"Well, of course, some pros play on it," he said, sounding a little put out. "But you can never know for sure who you are playing, to be sure."

"Can you teach me about how to use this?" Hikaru asked after the old man left some moments later of discussion about how to get the game up and running on the man's computer at home.

"Sure, got a computer at home?"

"No, but I can go to an Internet café," Hikaru replied. "Maybe I'll convince my dad to get me a computer for school…"

"That usually works," the man chuckled. "Now, here's what you do…"

At the end of the event, Hikaru found Sai lingering by a board that was the only one left being played. It seemed to be the finals.

'_How's it going, Sai?_' Hikaru asked after he watched the end game of the two kids, smiling when he saw how happy Sai was. It was contagious, and Hikaru did not begrudge the ghost for it. The people around them were now milling, getting ready for the award ceremony.

"Shindou?" someone said his name, and Hikaru looked from Sai to the person calling his name.

"Oh, you're…" Hikaru said, trying to place his name.

"Touya Akira," Sai helped him.

"Touya, Touya Akira," Hikaru said, smiling. "So you're here too! Did you play in this tournament?"

"No, did you?"

"No, I found out about this place from that lady at the Go salon we met, so I thought to check it out."

"Ichikawa-san? Yes, she had flyers for the tournament…" Touya said, studying Hikaru carefully.

"What?" Hikaru said, frowning at the way Touya was staring intently at him. "Do you want to play another game or something?"

Touya blinked in surprise and stammered. "Ah, well, um…" Hikaru thought for a moment and he looked at Sai.

'_If he's this happy, then how long will he remain happy? Two weeks? Yeah, I could do that…_' Hikaru thought.

"Come on, let's go play," Hikaru said, grinning as he pulled Touya with him. '_Sai, you play!_'

"Why are you spoiling me today, Hikaru?" Sai said, surprised.

"Ah, well, after what happened the other day at the Go club, Sai," he muttered under his breath. '_I figured I'd make it up to you…_' finished in his thoughts to his ghost friend.

"What was that, Shindou?" Touya asked a moment later.

"Ah, nothing, nothing, hey mister, can we borrow this board?"

"Hikaru!" "Shindou!"

"Oh, um, er, but this is…" the man said, startled by the request then did a double take. "Touya Akira?"

"Um, yes," Touya replied, blushing furiously. "But we can go someplace else…"

"That's fine, you two can play a casual game of Go here. Maybe it'll inspire a few kids here," he said, chuckling as he walked away.

"All right! Let's play!" Hikaru said to Sai.

"Please."

"Please."

Halfway through the game, Hikaru noticed he was getting noticed by kids and adults, and he frowned a little when he noticed the amount of intensity he saw in the face of a man who wore white suit while Hikaru waited for Touya to play his next hand.

"I have lost…" Touya said, bowing his head.

"Ah, already? Well, thank you for the game," Hikaru said, glancing at Sai. '_How come he always gives up before finishing the game, Sai? Is that normal?_'

"…Yes, Hikaru, when a strong opponent plays you and can see the difference in skill, they will often resign. A weak player won't know, and will usually insist on playing to the end."

'_So he can tell how strong you are?_' Hikaru asked, putting his own stones away. '_I'd like to know that trick._'

"That game was incredible, Akira-san," the man in white suit said. "Mind introducing him to me?"

"Ogata-sensei!" Touya said, snapping his head up. "Oh, um, yes. Ogata-sensei, this is Shindou Hikaru. Shindou-san, this is Seiji Ogata. He's one of my mentors in my Go study group."

"Pleased to meet you," Hikaru said, and Ogata returned his greeting. "I need to get going home. Mom will be mad…"

"Ah, yes, I'll talk to you later, then, Shindou?" Touya asked, hope filled his face. Hikaru felt a feeling of unease.

"Maybe," Hikaru said as he escaped the place.

"What's going on?" he asked Sai as he made his way to the train station. "Why were all the people watching us? There weren't so many people around that final game at the tournament!"

Sai remained quiet.

"Sai, just how strong are you?"

* * *

Akira followed the boy to the station, not wanting him out of sight just yet. He listened to the boy muttering to himself again.

"Sai, just how strong are you?" Shindou asked.

Akira frowned, wondering who Sai was. Wasn't the Go all Shindou? He watched the boy get on the train from the hidden place behind a pillar. Shaking his head, he caught his own train home.

A month later, he heard a discussion starting up at the Go study group at his house.

"Have you heard of Sai?" Ashiwara asked, "I played him and man, he crushed me!"

"Sai?" Akira asked, remembering Shindou saying the name a few times to himself.

"Yeah, an extremely strong player showed up on Net Go, and he's undefeated as of yet," Ashiwara continued. "I've seen a few of his other games, and I think he even played a Korean pro and won."

"Really?" Ogata asked, stroking his chin in thought as he looked at Akira. "You seem to know something about this?"

"Oh, um, not really. I haven't played Net Go…" Akira said, shaking his head. '_Sai? That Shindou Sai?i_' he thought to himself.

"People want to find out who he is. All we know is that he lives in Japan," the man continued. "He's only been on the Net Go for a little over three weeks, and already causing a huge upheaval on the Internet. Which is, quite frankly, amazing."

"That so?" his father commented, humming to himself. "Will he reveal himself?"

"I don't know, sensei," Ashiwara replied. "Sai won't answer any questions after the game except to make a few comments about a few hands that might have turned the game to the player's favor."

Kouyo thought for a moment, "If he's that strong, he'll appear before us pros someday. You did say he's from Japan?"Ashiwara nodded in answer.

"Right, right!" Ashiwara said.

"We'll watch where this develops," Ogata said. "Now, let's review a the final game of the Ouza League."

"Oh, yes," Ashiwara said, moving away from that topic. Akira's thoughts remained on Shindou.

'On Net Go for o_ver three weeks? That's about the time I last saw him. Did he check out the Net Go at the tournament?_' Akira thought as he half listened to his father discussing the game Ashiwara and Ogata just played. '_Shindou, who_ are_ you?_'

"Akira-kun, are you planning on taking the pro exam this year?" Ogata asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Maybe. Depends on someone else…"

"Oh, what's this?" his father asked. "Depends on who?"

"Shindou Hikaru," Ogata replied when Akira took too long to reply. "He was at the Children's tournament a few weeks ago, and Akira-kun ran into him and they played… an interesting game."

"Why did you not say anything about this, Akira?" Kouyo asked, frowning. "Seiji?"

"I thought Akira would have told you, so I didn't say anything," Ogata said, looking at Akira with a questioning look. Akira's face grew hot with embarrassment.

"He looks quite flustered, did he lose?" Kouyo asked Ogata.

"He resigned, yes," Ogata replied. "Akira, do you want to show us the game? I can play black for you."

Left with no choice, he played his second game against Shindou. At the end, the entire group was in dead silence for long moments.

"What _is_ he?" one of the pros in the group asked. "He slaughtered Akira-san, excuse me for saying so."

"That's what I would like to know. What else do you know about Shindou?" Ogata asked.

"I… think that was his second time playing against anyone. The first was against me."

Another long silence.

"Is he a genius… or a monster?" Ogata asked, his voice trembling.

"Ah!" Ashiwara cried out, snapping his fingers. "I thought I recognized that style! It's like Sai on the Net Go! Both are like Shuusaku's."

"Are you serious, Ashiwara?" another pro asked as Ogata and Akira looked at Ashiwara.

"I'm quite positive. Say, Akira, did he say anything about playing Net Go and gave you a screenname?"

Akira slowly shook his head, "Not when we talked." _'He did say Sai…_'

"That's a shame, maybe you can find out next time you meet him?"

But there had been no next time for the next few months, and he had no idea what school Shindou went to. Nevertheless, the games on Net Go against Sai continued, and Akira had witnessed a few of them. Ashiwara was right about one thing, Net Go's Sai's Go, and Shindou's Go were the same, but, if he wasn't mistaken, it seemed that he was witnessing a change in Sai's go. As though…

"As though Shuusaku was learning modern Go," Ogata said one evening in study group. "It really is quite remarkable to witness."

"Yes, I have seen a few of his _kifu_," Kouyo said, nodding. "But I still have no interest in players who won't show themselves. So, let's begin."

"Yes, sensei." "Of course, let us…" "All right."

"Have you seen Shindou since that day?" Ogata asked Akira during the lull of games in the room.

Akira shook his head in reply. "I don't know what school he goes to… and he won't answer me on Net Go. Even in a private message, but it seems he has turned the private messaging off."

Ogata chuckled, "With the amount of people wanting to play him, he might have been hounded by others asking him questions."

* * *

"Hikaru!" his mom called. "What are you doing, are you done with your homework?"

"Yes, mom," he replied, placing the next stone on the board. "I'm just playing Go right now."

"You are always playing Go, Hikaru," she said, frowning. "Well, as long it doesn't affect your studies…"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Hikaru, be more respectful!" Sai scolded, then ordered, "14-10."

Hikaru ignored Sai's chastisement.

'_Know what Sai, maybe I should look up what it means to be a pro. So many people in the box on the side keeps asking me about it…_' Hikaru thought, frowning as he saw another question being asked about him being a pro. "Must mean because you're strong, or something."

After the game ended, the player _finally_ resigned, he exited the application and did a Google search. Both Hikaru and Sai read different pages explaining what it meant to be a Go pro.

"They make this much money?!" Hikaru exclaimed after awhile. "Man! Do you think you can win those titles, Sai? It would mean you can play really strong players, not the weak ones on Net Go."

"There _are_ strong players on Net Go, Hikaru!" Sai corrected him, then his facial expression turned thoughtful. "Playing more strong players…"

"Oh yeah, Touya's dad is the one closest to the Hand of God, right?" Hikaru said, remembering the announcement on an electric board one day. "I don't think he plays Net Go…. Eh?"

Hikaru read a statement about young pros not entering high school due to their careers. "Wow! I won't even need to go to high school, Sai! You could play and win us all the titles, and I won't need to go to high school!"

'_All Hikaru could see is money and not attending classes,_' Sai thought, frowning. '_But, if he is not in school as much, I could play more…_'

"Is money and not going to school all you want to do in life, Hikaru?"

"It's a nice, added bonus, I'll admit," he replied, "Now, how to become a pro…"

Sai felt indignant at Hikaru for only thinking of his own selfish ambitions for playing Go.

"But you don't even like to play Go, Hikaru," Sai said.

"Hm," Hikaru, looked at Sai. "Not true, I am starting to understand why you like to play Go. Though, I never have any opportunity."

"I can play you!" Sai offered, realizing that his host _was_ interested.

"Really, Sai? You wuld?" Hikaru asked, perking up at his chance to try playing. "I never wanted to mess up your games, even though there had been times when I wanted to try playing a hand… It might mean you losing the game though, and become defeatable on Net Go. We can't have that!"

"Let's play, let's play!" Sai said, grinning. Hikaru opened the application and started a player versus player game without going on Net Go.

"Should I place some stones down?" Hikaru asked.

"No need, let's see how much of Go you've picked up. I'll go lightly on you."

Hikaru pouted, but placed the first hand without saying a word. Several hands into the game, Hikaru blinked, wondering what was the feeling that he got stirring in his stomach. He saw that there was a complicated battle in the top left corner, and he desperately tried not to lose his stones there. Clenching his left hand, he tried to play a hand by placing the stone with his right.

A few hands later, he lost his group.

"You said you were going light on me!" Hikaru complained.

"I did, I did, I'm sorry, Hikaru!"

Hikaru sighed, "I resign. So, what do you think, Sai?"

"You did pick up quite a bit, Hikaru," Sai said, pleased with the boy.

"Really?" Hikaru asked, sitting up straighter in his computer chair. "Great, let's play another game! How many stones?"

"…Eight."

"Eight!" Hikaru exclaimed, then bowed his head in defeat. "Well, I suppose that's the difference, huh?"

'_No, Hikaru… I would have said twenty, but I didn't want to discourage you with so many stones,_' Sai thought to himself as Hikaru prepared the next round of Go. Sai smiled at his adopted disciple.

"Hikaru? Maybe next week, you can start trying to play others on Net Go under a new name?"

"Huh, why? Don't you want to play others?"

"Go… is not about just playing against others, it's about sharing your knowledge. Teaching is as much of a passion of mine as it is to play Go," Sai said, closing his eyes as he remembered the days of his own life, then with Torajiro. "If I had known you wanted to play sooner, I would have played you, teaching you earlier."

"Huh!"

"Maybe, once you are better at Go, and can understand a strong game of Go… I'll show you an interesting game," Sai said, remembering Torajiro. "This time, you can show your skills to others…"

"Huh, what do you mean, 'This time?'"

"I'll explain sometime later in the future, let's play!"


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks later, another player challenged Sai, and lost. Hikaru chanced a look at the chat box on the right before he exited out of the game.

_Are you never going to tell us who you are? Even if you don't want to tell us your name, could you perhaps at least satisfy our curiousity by telling us why, as impersonal as you want, you are hiding? _

"Sai…" Hikaru said.

"Yes, Hikaru?"

"This person wants to know why I'm hiding you."

"Do you want to say something to him? He was a strong foe in this game," he said, looking at the stones with respect. "The strongest I've played yet on this box."

Hikaru looked at the screen name. _Seiji._

"Well, I suppose I could satisfy his curiosity, and the entire Net Go…" he muttered, thinking for a moment for an excuse. "Ah-ha!"

_Because I am unable to hold the stones. I have someone else play for me. I'm in a delicate situation._

_Are you terminally ill,_ Seiji wrote.

_Something like that. That's all I can say, I am sorry that I can't say more,_ Hikaru wrote.

_I see, thank you for the response. Is the proxy person learning Go from you?_

Hikaru paused a moment, bewildered by the question.

"Sai?"

"You are my disciple, Hikaru," Sai said, smiling. "It's up to you to let others acknowledge that there's a student of my own."

"Heh, won't that create another fuss in the Go world?"

_Yes, I have a disciple._

_Didn't he play Touya Akira a few times?_

Hikaru yelped a surprise by the question.

_Please don't reveal me to others yet!_

_Heh, so it is you. It will be interesting to meet you again. Akira misses playing you._

_Does he?_

_If you enable Private Message, I would like to give you some contact information. Are you planning to go pro? Or if you are not good enough, become insei?_

_Insei? I thought about going pro… What's an insei?_

_Confident in your abilities, huh? Better sign up for the pro exams soon, the registration ends tomorrow night._

Seiji exited the chat box, and people started hounding Hikaru with more questions. Hikaru cringed as he exited too, then enabled private message long enough for Seiji to write him a message with phone numbers, address to Go Institute, and an invitation to Touya Mejin's study group.

"Sai! It's him, closest to the Hand of God!" Hikaru exclaimed, realizing whose group they were invited to. Sai was also speechless. "Well, we better get to the Go Institute tomorrow, huh? Lucky it's Saturday."

* * *

He entered the building and meandered over to what appeared to be the welcome desk. The man looked up and saw him.

"Ah hello, what can I do for you?"

"I would like to register for the pro exam, sir," Hikaru said, ignoring Sai who was exploring the building on his own.

"Eh? Today's the last day, will you have time to fill out all the registration and paying for it?"

"…What do I have to do?" Hikaru asked, bewildered that there would be a fee.

The man sighed, shaking his head. "Ogata-sensei did say a boy with your description would be coming in today to register… Come with me."

'_Ogata-sensei… that sounds familiar,_' Hikaru thought, _'I wonder how he knew I would come in today? Was that who I talked to yesterday?_'

He entered the room and found the man in white suit. "Oh, you're that guy! Ogata-sensei."

"Hey! Don't point fingers at him!" the receptionist man scolded him.

"Haha, that's all right Dante-san. Shindou Hikaru, was it?"

"Um, y-yes," Hikaru said, looking for Sai. He suddenly wished Sai hadn't decided to go exploring on his own—both had thought registering would be a boring process, and Sai had asked if he could go explore before they went in.

"I'll help you register for the exam," Ogata said.

"You're going out of your way to help this boy?" Dante asked, bewildered.

"Correct, come over to this table Shindou, let's fill out some _kifu_ for the registration."

"You want to play me _now_?" Hikaru asked, panicking as he looked for Sai. '_Sai! Sai, where are you, come here!_'

"Something the matter?" Ogata asked as he sat down. Dante had left the room by then.

"Um, can you please wait?"

"I only have an hour to spend playing a game, and you can play the other two games with some people here."

'_Sai!_' Hikaru thought as he sat down, nervousness filling in each pores on his body.

"Why are you nervous? You saw the game between me and Sai. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, you placed the stones for him."

Hikaru gulped, and nodded. "It's just… I'm.. um… unable to play at the moment."

"What do you mean?" Ogata asked, confused.

"It's hard to explain, Ogata-sensei," Hikaru said, biting his bottom lip.

He heard a commotion at the door and Hikaru looked and saw a group of kids looking in.

"Is that him?" "Sai's student?" "He doesn't look like much, his hair…"

"He's talking to _Ogata-sensei_…"

"I want to play him."

Hikaru's face flushed.

Ogata glared at the kids, "Hey, beat it!"

Grumbling, the kids left, and they were alone again.

"Do you want to explain yourself why you are 'unable to play at the moment?'"

Hikaru fidgeted, wondering what he was going to do. If he ran out to get Sai, would Ogata-sensei retract his support for letting him take the exam? The man did seem like he consistently had a stick shoved up where sun did not shine.

'_Sai, come on! Get here, please, pleeeeaase!_' Hikaru thought, trying to not panic. Ogata just stared, waiting for an answer.

"I don't want to be locked in a loony bin!" Hikaru blurted, "And I really want to let him play so he doesn't affect my emotions! But he's not here right now!"

Hikaru widened his eyes in shock and covered his mouth.

"Play me, right now," Ogata said, narrowing his eyes. Hikaru looked to the door again, hyperventilating. "You can play black, Shindou."

'_Sai, where are yoooou?!_'

Resigned, he took the black stones. _'Why did I even agree to come here? I should have known that Seiji—if he isn't Seiji, then I'll eat puffer fish for dinner—would be here today if I came._'

A few hands into the game, Ogata looked up, frowning, then focused on the game again. During the middle game, Hikaru resigned.

"This isn't like your game against Akira-kun. What's going on? You shouldn't even be contemplating going pro, or even insei at this point."

"I.. I know that!" he yelled, trying to defend himself. "I can't explain myself!"

"Are you schizophrenic by any chance?"

"I knew you'd think I had some sort of mental disease!" he complained, smacking his forehead.

"So, if it's not that, then what?"

"Hikaru!" Sai came, full of joy. "This building fills me with so muc—huh? Hikaru?"

"You're finally here, Sai," Hikaru said, glaring.

Ogata looked for Sai but saw no one, then looked at Hikaru.

"You're talking out loud, Hikaru."

Hikaru met Sai's gaze with stony silence.

"Huu, are you actually going to let him know about me?" Sai asked, surprised.

"If you hadn't disappeared on me, Sai, I wouldn't have! I should disappear."

"Hikaru, he's talking to you…" Sai said, covering his face with his sleeve.

"Huh?" Hikaru asked, looking at Ogata.

"I think you do have a case of schizophrenia," Ogata said, standing up.

"No I don't! Let me play you again! Sai, come over here!"

Ogata paused a moment then sat down again as Sai walked to stand behind Hikaru.

"Fine, I'll humor you a bit longer. I think you are sick in your mind. No telling what you might do if I refused…"

Hikaru's face flushed again.

"He's a ghost, a ghost! I'm not sick!"

Ogata stared for a moment, then did the _nigiri_ with Hikaru, studying for a moment. "Is he Shuusaku?"

"Um… well, Shuusaku played for him," Hikaru replied, surprised that Ogata really was playing along with him for now.

"He was a ghost then too?" Ogata asked, surprised.

"Yeah…" Hikaru replied, taking white. "He's from the Heian era."

A thousand years…" Ogata said softly. His hands shook as he placed the first stone. _'A thousand years worth of Go… no wonder Shuusaku was so good._ _And now…? By God, we did witness Shuusaku learning modern Go!_ _If this kid _is _telling the truth. Well, no matter, the Go he played will be proof enough._'

During the course of the game, Ogata tried to fight for every hand and territory, but in the end, he had resigned. He had calculated to the end and found he was short ten and a half _moku_.

His errands forgotten for the afternoon, he looked at Hikaru.

"So, there's you, and then there's… Sai," Ogata said, running his hand through his hair. "Were you planning to go pro for Sai?"

"Ah, um, yes…. He wants to play more strong players."

"And money, and no school," Sai quipped, glaring at Hikaru good naturedly. Hikaru chuckled nervously.

"At the same time, you, yourself, want to get better at Go?"

"Yeah… I don't see how it's possible to be a pro and an insei," Hikaru said, frowning. "I wish it were possible, but people would just think of me what you thought—a nutcase."

Ogata chuckled, "That is true. I still have doubts that he is a ghost."

"What would I have to do to prove that he is a ghost?"

"Maybe if there was a way if you didn't look at the board…" Ogata muttered.

"I can face the other way! Then you can just place all the stone," Hikaru said. "I'll call out the coordinates."

Ogata thought for a moment. "Yes, that would be proof enough. Let's play again… Sai."

Sai widened his eyes at the acknowledgement. No one, besides Hikaru and Torajiro, had ever spoken directly to him. He felt a twinge in his heart. '_He… recognizes me?_'

"Um, I think Sai is really happy that you're acknowledging him," Hikaru said, sweat dripping down his forehead. Then he turned the other way, facing Sai, but to Ogata, he was staring at the wall.

Ogata stared at the back of the boy, wondering how to take this new revelation. Ogata placed the first stone.

After a moment, HIkaru called out, "17-17." Ogata placed the white stone.

Both Ogata and Sai battled again on the face of the board, and in the end, Ogata had to resign—to the game, and to the fact that ghosts _were_ real. There was no other explanation for the game that now exists before him.

"Do you believe me now?" Hikaru asked, turning around, and took a moment. "Wow."

"Yes," Ogata agreed. "So, you want to enter the world of pros, yet, you want to learn yourself. I think something can be arranged."

"Great!" Hikaru said, grinning. He deflated a little, "But, can you keep this a secret?"

Ogata smirked. "Yes, I am sure people will try to guess, but they won't need to know the real reason. Except, of course, if you want to share that secret with others, but I don't recommend it. For obvious reasons."

Hikaru nodded solemnly in agreement.

At the end of the day, Ogata watched the boy leave the building.

"You even paid for his pro exam fee," Dante said, putting the application away.

"Yes, his situation is… quite unique. I am more than happy to help sponsor him."

"Was that Sai?" a kid asked.

"Hm, yes and no," Ogata replied and smirked when he saw an expression of confusion and bewilderment on the group of insei. Then he left to do his errands he had temporarily forgotten. He hoped Ashiwara wouldn't be too mad. '_Heh! The future of Go world will be interesting. Sai, and his disciple…_'

* * *

Hikaru sat on his bed after the long day at the Go Institute, wondering what _had_ happened. Sai, to his credit, remained quiet.

"What did I just do, Sai?"

"You told Ogata-san about me."

"_Why_ did I tell him?" Hikaru wondered aloud, not wanting an answer. "But, at least he… believes me about you. Without calling in the white guys.

"Yes…. I was quite surprised when I came into the room, and you were… telling him these things."

'_Why didn't you hear me calling for you? I wouldn't have said any of that!_' he accused his friend.

"Oh, um… I saw a… game," Sai said helplessly. "It was so riveting! The room was so… electric, my body felt like it was on fire in that room."

HIkaru sighed, shaking his head.

"There's no helping then. What's done is done, and maybe this is for the best. The pro prelims starts in a month, and Ogata-sensei said that I should let you play all the games, and leave my learning Go later."

They were silent for a moment.

"Should you tell your parents what's happening?" Sai suggested. "It would be kind to let them know what's been happening."

"Oh, yeah, I suppose I should," Hikaru said, realizing that the pro exams would conflict with his school.

"Hey mom!" Hikaru said, going down the stairs. "Is dad home?"

"I am," his father replied, and Hikaru grinned. "What's up, son?"

"Great, you're both here! I thought I should let you guys know what's going on in my life right now."

Both parents looked at each other in surprise for a moment, then they sat down at the table, and HIkaru joined them.

"Really, Hikaru, what's going on?" his mom asked, flabbergasted by Hikaru's willingness to tell them.

"Well, you know how I've been playing Go on the computer?"

Their assent of their heads indicated for him to continue.

"I decided to take the pro exam to become a Go pro, and it will conflict with my school for about two months," Hikaru said.

"What?" his mom exclaimed. "Go pro? What is that?"

"Um, a player who makes money playing and teaching Go?" Hikaru said.

"Be a little more sensitive, Hikaru!" Sai scolded him and the boy grimaced as the parents fell silent again, trying to grapple with what their son was saying.

"That is, I mean, you know about people playing sports for a living?" HIkaru said. "Like my old dream of being a soccer pro?"

"Oh, yes," her eyes lit up, and his dad nodded slowly.

"So, if you pass this exam, you become a pro, and start making money?"

"Right!"

"How much do they make a month?"

"Well, at first, not a whole lot, in the first year or two. About $30,000 a year. After that depends on what you win. For example, winning one of the titles wins you about a $100,000. If you win the most prestigious title, it's about $500,000. There are ten titles in all."

"And you would have to be very good to win those titles, right?" his dad said. "I understand. $30,000 the first year? Hm, not bad… You'll go to high school, though right?"

"Dad, you've seen my grades, I don't plan on going to high school," Hikaru said, frowning, wondering if they would push the issue on this point.

The parents looked at each other again, communicating silently.

"We'll talk more about this, especially as it will affect your future. You know we want you to live well and happy. Going pro can affect many things in the future. What if you suddenly can't play anymore? How will you find a job that requires a high school diploma?"

Hikaru didn't have an answer to that question. Then he remembered what Sai said at the children's tournament.

"Someone once told me, after seeing kids playing Go, that it was exactly like the children playing a thousand years ago, and it will continue to be so a thousand years from now. I won't ever stop playing Go. If I can't hold a stone, then I'll have someone be a proxy for me."

His dad chuckled, "You _are_ serious. Let's see how the exams go, and then we'll discuss more later. I'll need to research this myself."

"Yes, we'll look into it, Hikaru," his mom said. HIkaru stared at his parents, wondering how he was making of this acceptance. His parents were actually making an effort to understand him, and at the same time, looking out for him, like Sai was doing. For a long time, he had thought his parents stupid and selfish, and uncool.

"You know, thank you, mom, dad," Hikaru said, and stood up.

"You are welcome Hikaru. We love you, you know that, right?"

"I think I do now," he said, grinning.

"Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes," she said to the retreating boy.

"Got it, mom!" Hikaru said, going to the office where the computer was. After he had seen the Net Go on the computer at the tournament, he had asked his parents for a computer. After much persuasion, the parents saw the need for a computer to keep up with the times. He hadn't thought much of his parents willingness at the time.

A few days later after that conversation, Hikaru was on the computer again and his mom came into the room.

"Hikaru?"

"Yeah, mom?"

"I did some… we did some research," she amended. "Your grandfather too, he was surprised when he found out you were taking the pro exam…."

"Oh yeah, grandpa, what about him?"

"He said you just learned to play Go in December."

"Ah, yeah, that's right, I did, wow, that feels like so long ago," he thought, thinking back. "Lot's happened since."

"He said you wouldn't have the strength of a pro by now. It's highly unrealistic," she said, frowning. "Are you being realistic?"

"Mom… do you want me to prove my ability to you guys?"

She nodded, "Preferably before the exam, so you don't miss school when you would be wasting your time."

Hikaru turned away from the computer to face mom.

"One of the things, when I registered for the exam, is to show them my ability to play. I had to show them three different games. Ogata-sensei said I passed the application with flying colors. But, I guess I can have you talk to him and maybe a few others who are strong players."

"…And maybe play against your grandfather?" she suggested after a moment. She looked speechless for some reason.

Hikaru looked at the screen—he had been playing against Sai, so there was no time limit—for a moment and looked at mom. "Would you like to learn the basics of Go? So you can understand a little of my world?"

She blinked in surprise. "You would? I don't know…"

"Come on mom! I'll teach you, I'll teach you," he said, pulling up a chair near the computer and sat in it, offering the comfortable computer chair to her. She smiled and sat down in it.

After about an hour of teaching, Mitsuko got up, thanking her son for the lesson. "You know, in some ways, I can see why it's quite addicting to play Go. Maybe I'll attend some classes…" she wondered, scratching her cheek in thought. "You know of any good places?"

"I do, Shirakawa-sensei teaches the types of classes you are looking for, I'll take you there tomorrow. The places are more geared to people like you and not kids."

"Really, Hikaru? Well, I suppose I could do that… what time?"

"Let's meet at the train station by our house after school and we can walk over there."

"So, about 4pm?"

Hikaru nodded, "Yeah, sounds right."

"Wonderful, I look forward to it," she said, appearing excited about doing something with her son.

Hikaru grinned after his mom left, he couldn't help himself—he was looking forward to hanging out with his mom—of all people!


	3. Chapter 3

He met up with his mom and they walked to the Go club where Shirakawa-sensei taught.

"How was school today?" she asked.

"Oh, um, boring as usual," he replied, scratching his head embarrassed. His mom had dressed up in nicer clothes than she usually wore. "You didn't have to wear that."

"I need to make an impression, Hikaru," she said, frowning.

"No one will pay attention except where you place the stones," he assured her.

"Hikaru!" Sai scolded him again.

"But, um…" Hikaru winced at Sai's chastisement. "You do look nice."

Mitsuko blushed lightly, "Thank you, Hikaru…" '_Maybe playing Go had matured him? What happened to my son? He wasn't like this six months ago._'

Shirakawa spotted HIkaru and made his way over before the boy could embarrass anyone else, especially the lady that seemed to be with him.

"Shirakawa-sensei!" Hikaru said, grinning. "Meet my mom, she wants to learn Go. I taught the basics last night. Mom, this is Shirakawa Mishio, teacher of this Go club. Shirakawa-sensei, my mom, Mitsuko."

"Well, nice to meet you, Shindou-san. I never thought he'd bring a parent in."

She laughed lightly, "Yes, I was quite surprised myself when he offered to teach me Go. After all, he wants to take the pro exams and wanted to show me the world of Go, or something…. Something wrong, sir?"

"P-pro exams?" he asked, sounding a little shocked, looking at Hikaru. "Not even an insei, but straight up taking the exam?"

"Um… I'll explain later, sensei," he said, shifting uncomfortably. "I never… um, played a serious game against you, so you wouldn't understand."

Shirakawa stared at Hikaru for a moment, and then shook his head. "Did they accept your application?"

"They did, sir, they accepted me into the pro exam."

The teacher paled at the statement of fact, and he turned to his mom, deciding to do something that was more in line to what he was used to dealing with. "Right this way, ma'am?"

"O-of course," she said, looking at her son with some confusion but decided to not press it for now and followed the teacher.

An hour later, Shirakawa came by where mother and son sat and decided to face Hikaru.

"So, what's this about you being accepted into the pro exams?"

Hikaru gulp silently and gestured for him to sit down. "Play a serious match against me."

Shirakwa smiled and agreed. He had been looking forward to this since the little slip the son had made. It was true—the boy had only learned Go about seven months ago, and now was on the brink of taking the exams? That was unheard of. True, he hadn't seen the boy since February… '_Did he find a mentor?_'

Forty-five minutes into the game, Shirakawa had to concede defeat—this boy was beyond his own skill level.

"You…" he began to tell the boy, but speech failed him.

"How did he do?" his mom asked, looking helpless.

"Shindou-san…" he said, collecting himself together, deciding to face the mother of the genius-child. "How to explain this… what sports do you follow?"

"…Tennis?"

"Who is considered the king or queen of tennis?"

She mumbled off a name Shirakawa couldn't pronounce and he smiled.

"Then you'd understand that there's talent that is born every other decade or so? This talent… does not exist even every hundred years. This Go… could have not existed from a boy who just learned Go in about seven months. Excuse me for saying so, but I think he is going to rule the Go world in a few years time."

She gasped, covering her mouth in surprise, looking at her son. "You're that much of a genius, Hikaru? Why didn't you say so?"

Hikaru laughed quietly, "It's not something you can brag about, mom. Even if I did try to explain, would you have believed me?"

"Well, you did try to explain, but we thought you were exaggerating…" she said, looking at the teacher again, looking helpless. "How long does it normally take for a person to become a pro?"

"It varies from person to person, but in recent years, we've had Kurata-kun become a pro after two years of study, and that was pretty phenomenal in itself. Most of the time, it's at least three years, and in most cases, five or more."

Mitsuko stared at her son again for a moment, who just stared at the board silently. '_I have a genius for a son? Hikaru? My son?_'

She shook her head, "Thank you sensei for teaching me, and for telling me a bit about Go. I need to take my leave to make dinner for Masao and my son here."

"Ah, of course, thank you for coming in today. You are welcomed to come by anytime," he said, getting up.

"Thank you, I think I will come back. Go does look quite fun to play," she said, smiling, then looked at her son. "Coming, Hikaru?"

"I'll come a little later, if that's okay, mom?"

"…Of course," she said, smiling. '_Maybe we won't have to worry too much after all. If he is that much of a genius… Hikaru… my son!'_

Once his mom left, he turned to his once-teacher. "Thank you sensei, for the game. I wanted to show her that she didn't need to worry about my taking the exam."

"And about that… how _did_ you grow this strong?" he asked, boring down on the boy. "Do you have a mentor?"

"I.. I do, sir, he's a… very good teacher," Hikaru replied, smiling at Sai. "I've been playing every day."

"That must have been some teacher…. Who is he?"

"No one you know, sensei," he replied. "No one knows him."

He looked at him suspiciously. "Anyone would die to have your teacher, if you can grow this fast. Is he taking anyone else on?"

"He's not able to," Hikaru said with a frown. The teacher shook his head. "But, sensei… do you know Net Go?"

"Net Go? Sure, I play on there sometimes, what about it?"

"It's where my teacher lives," Hikaru said, then got up. "Well, I better get going home to do some homework, as annoying that is, I still have school."

"Wait, what? Hikaru!" Shirakawa called after the retreating boy. '_What was that mysterious response? There's no way a person could live in Net Go, could there…?_'

"Shirakawa-sensei?" one of his customers called him, distracting him for the moment.

* * *

At home, Hikaru sat down at the table with his parents—his dad was home two nights in a row, which had not happened in a while.

"Shirakawa-sensei was saying that Hikaru is a rare genius…" she was telling her husband, explaining all that had happened while Hikaru focused on his food. "…we may not even need to worry."

"I'm concerned about one thing though, if they expect too much from him, he might get pressured to keep out-performing himself. I've heard of that one famous kid in chess some decades ago. He vanished, what if that happens to our son?"

She fell silent at that, looking at Hikaru.

"That won't happen!" Hikaru said, noticing his parents. "Really, it won't. Like I'm going to let people put pressure on me. You guys know me, don't you?"

"Well, that is true… you are very outgoing, and quite obnoxious at times," his dad said, chuckling. '_Maybe that kid was an introvert?' _he thought as he resumed his meal.

"Dad!" Hikaru said, offended at being called obnoxious.

"Right, we have no worries at all about that," he said, nodding. "Let's see how you do during the pro exams, son."

Hikaru looked at dad with a determined look, then grinned and nodded. "Right, I'll pass the exams undefeated!"

"…How _do_ you pass the exams?" his mom asked, curious.

"You have to play everyone who is taking the exam, which is why it takes two months. Then the top three with the best record of win-loss passes."

"Ah…" she said, nodding sipping her tea. "Hikaru, I want to thank you for teaching us about what you're doing. It means a lot to us. It shows that you can be responsible."

Hikaru grinned, looking at Sai. "My sensei had told me to tell you. He was quite forceful about it."

"But to go as far as to teach me how to play? To take me to that place today?" she persisted. "When do you meet your sensei? I want to meet him."

"Um, you can't, he lives on the internet…."

"Net Go?" his dad asked, frowning. "You know there are weirdos on the internet."

"I'm careful, dad, I haven't even met him."

"I want to at least email him," he said.

Hikaru looked at Sai for a second.

"I'll talk to him through those letters in the magic box," Sai said, wearing a serious expression.

"All right, I'm sure he will be willing to email you. He can't say much about himself though… he's terminally ill."

"Is he?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "He could be lying for all we know."

'_We _are_ lying_,' Hikaru thought, mentally sweat dropping. "I'll go give him your email after dinner."

_Dear Shindou Masao,_

_Your son told me that you wish to exchange correspondence. My name is not important; I do not wish to be found out, even through email. I fear that, because of my fans on the Internet, it will be leaked. However, you can call me Sai, for it is a part of my real name._

_I have been teaching your son to play Go since March, and have witnessed a phenomenal growth in your Hikaru-san since then. We have been playing Go on the internet, and I taught him how to improve through subsequent games with me, and with others on the Net. I have no doubt that your son will be able to pass the pro exam. Believe me when I say, the games of Go from a thousand years were the same as today, and because of this, I know it will exist for the next thousand years. There will be no shortage of games in Hikaru's future. _

_Please feel free to email me anytime with any concerns you may have. I do wish I could at least give you a call or meet you in person if it was possible, but my body is not able to handle that much. I currently let a machine do all the work for me on the computer._

_Signed,_

_Sai_

* * *

"Shindou's entering the pro exam?!" Akira yelled, standing up.

"Sit down, Akira-kun," Ogata said, blowing out smoke. "You're making a debacle of yourself."

The other customers in the Go salon were looking at the pair before resuming their games.

"When did this happen?" he demanded of the man.

"Over the weekend. It's quite the story. I found him on Net Go and then I convinced him to take the pro exam. I met him there the next day. I'll leave that story there for now."

"Shindou is… Shindou is…" Akira stammered, staring at nothing.

"So, you need to prepare yourself. That's why I'm here today," he said, putting out the smoke and took a _goke_.

After a long moment, Akira did the same, and then performed _nigiri_. Ogata went first. During the game, Akira's thoughts kept going back to Shindou, and the fact that he would be in the exams.

"Hey, focus!" Ogata said after a time. "This Go is not like you."

"I'm sorry, sensei… I resign."

Ogata grunted, "Should have known to give you time to think things over. I'll be back another time," he said, getting up. "But, realize one thing, Akira, so you can prepare yourself—there are two Go to Shindou Hikaru."

"Hah?"

Before Akira could get an answer, Ogata-sensei had left the salon. Akira blinked a few times. '_Two Go to Shindou Hikaru? What did that even mean?_' he wondered, putting the stones away.

Akira shook his head, deciding he was done for the day and headed home. "I'm home!" he announced, finding his mom in the kitchen.

"Akira! You're home early," she said, sounding pleased.

"Yeah, wanted to take a break from Go for a bit. There's too much happening today," he said, accepting a cup of tea his mom quickly prepared.

"Really?" she asked, looking perplexed. "Like what?"

"…A kid my age is stronger than me is taking the pro exams."

"Stronger _than_ you?" she asked, chuckling. "Not my son."

Akira sipped his tea, thinking hard over what Ogata-sensei had said. '_Two Go?_'

His mom noticed her son's facial expression.

"That strong?" she asked, surprised. "Well, that's something..."

Later that evening, his father came out of the study room for the dinner meal.

"Akira," he greeted, "Akiko. How was your day?"

"Very well, honey," she replied, setting a plate before him.

"Confusing," Akira replied, meriting a glance from his father.

"Oh?"

"Ogata-sensei came by the Go salon today, and told me Shindou Hikaru is taking the pro exams."

"That kid, huh? What's confusing about him?"

"Father—he just learned how to play Go in January, and has already been accepted into the prelims."

Kouyo paused in raising his fork to his mouth for a long moment.

"That's not the only thing Ogata-sensei told me today, he said Shindou-san has two Go to him. I don't understand."

Kouyo chewed his food thoughtfully, thinking about what his son had just said.

"That second game, that was no beginner," he muttered, referring to the game at children's tournament. "Are you quite sure he just learned how to play Go?"

"He had no idea the basics of Go, like what _atari_ means. Or that stones can't move from their place like chess. The way he held the stone… there's no way he could fake not knowing Go, father."

"It is like Ogata-san said… is he a genius or a monster?" Kouyo said after another long moment of eating.

"That's what I would like to know."

"And he also said there's two Go to Shindou?" Kouyo asked and Akira nodded. "Curious. I'll have to talk to Ogata-san about that."

After a moment of silence, the family moved on to another topic of conversation. But Shindou were not far from Akira or Kouyo's thoughts. After dinner, Kouyo excused himself and went to make a phone call.

"Seiji," Koyou said.

"Ah, hello, Touya-sensei, how was your day?"

"Fine, I had the strangest conversation with my son today, however," Kouyo replied, not wasting time with a small chat, Seiji was more than used to it. "What do you mean by two Go to Shindou Hikaru? Taking the pro exams, I understand, even if he only learned to play Go recently, but that statement, Seiji?"

Seiji chuckled, "I should have known he would have told you the moment he got home."

"Not the moment he got home, no, but he did tell me over dinner," he said.

"Well, it's a story Shindou will have to tell for himself. It's rather unbelievable, and you won't believe me even if I told you," Seiji said after a moment. Kouyo grunted.

"Try me."

A pause.

"Can you meet me at a coffee café across from the train station by your place?"

"When?"

"Thirty minutes from now," he replied and then there was a click. Kouyo hung up the phone, not sure what to make of the man at the moment. He saw Akira loitering by, and Kouyo raised an eyebrow.

"Did he say anything?" Akira asked. Kouyo shook his head.

"I'm going out for a bit. Please stay here with your mother."

"But, father, you're going to meet with Ogata-sensei, aren't you?" he said. "Let me go with you!"

"Akira."

After a moment, his son backed down with a sigh. "Yes, father," he said mulishly and slunked off. Shaking his head, Kouyo went to take his leave.

"I will be back later this evening," he informed his wife.

* * *

Just outside the café, Kouyo saw Seiji, smoking.

"Touya-sensei."

"Seiji."

After a moment when Seiji put out his smoke, they went inside. Seiji ordered coffee and sat down at the table where Kouyo had sat—in the back of the place.

"So, what do you make of Shindou-san?" Kouyo asked. Seiji chuckled.

"It really is quite the story, where to begin…"

"The beginning?" he offered Seiji.

"Right, the beginning, like all stories," he said, chuckling. "Yes, well… After I witnessed the game between him and Akira-kun…" he began to tell the tale to the Meijin.

"…and now I've arranged a way for Shindou to learn Go while letting Sai play professionally."

"I think you are drunk," Kouyo said bluntly after a moment.

"I've only drank coffee, and there's no brandy in it, sensei."

"Then you have gone barmy mad," he said, grasping at straws to explain the story. "Made it up to trick me. Doing the long con, Seiji. To take the Meijin title?"

Seiji let out a loud and long laugh. "Oh, I should have thought of that, if I wanted a title using mind games!" he said, then calmed himself down after a moment, wiping tears from his eyes. "The only way to prove it is to play the same type of game Shindou did to me."

"A Total Blind Go?"

"Yes," Seiji replied with a serious expression on his face again. "I don't know if I can convince Shindou, though…"

"Hm," Kouyo said, thinking for a moment. "Extraordinary… to think Shuusaku played for the ghost. I wonder what Shuusaku's real Go was?"

They were silent for a moment.

"The next few years… no, decades, in the Go world, will be an interesting one," Kouyo said. "Even if you are making it up, or Shindou's fooling us all, his Go is proof enough against my son."

"I can also show you my games against Sai, and against Shindou."

"Yes, come by when no one is over this week. Including Akira."

"Keeping him in the dark?" Seiji asked, sipping his coffee.

"For now, I am not sure how he will be able to handle the news. It was quite good of you to think of the arrangement for Shindou to learn Go while Sai plays professionally."

Seiji chuckled, and raised his cup, "It did take me a moment to think. No case like his ever existed."

"Can he keep up with it? That is my only concern… and any possible conflicts in the future…"

"I am hoping by then, people will have to accept that there are two Go to Shindou, and be satisfied with that mystery. No need to tell ghost stories to the world."

"Yes…," Kouyo said, chuckling. "I'm sure a few will be rather persistent to find out for a while. He readily agreed?"

"After a moment, yes. I had to talk to Dante-san and Shinoda-san to make a few changes for me without anyone else knowing at the Institute. You're the fourth person to know about this situation."

"So, there's you, Dante-san, Shinoda-san, and me," Kouyo stated, nodding. "When will he become insei?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Hikaru, I thought you were taking a pro exam, and now you want to be an insei?" she asked, wearing a mystified expression. "You have no confidence in your Go?"

'_A few weeks, and she's already talking the Go lingo_,' Hikaru thought, impressed with mom in keeping up with him. Their nightly conversation probably helped with that, at Sai's insistence.

"I do, mom, but, well, my Go is kind of hard to explain to people, so I'm maintaining appearance of being a normal kid…" he said, trying to get mom to think what she wants.

"Oh, I see, you don't want to be singled out, of course…" she said, nodding in understanding. "Yes, I can understand that. Well, when do you need for me to come with you to the insei interview?"

"This Saturday at 1pm," he replied, getting up to go get ready for bed.

"All right, have a good night," she said, smiling. She watched her son go upstairs, leaving her in the living room with the brand new _goban_ her husband's father had bought Hikaru.

They had been playing a game together almost nightly, and she took joy at getting closer to her son in this way. '_And to think that I thought we were becoming distant!_' she said, smiling to herself. She stroked the _goban_ once before getting to her feet.

She was starting to understand what Shirakawa-sensei had been saying—to know Go to such extent as her son had learned in just seven months time seemed inhuman.

But, it _was_ her son, after all.

Full of motherly pride, she got ready for bed herself. She couldn't wait to tell other friends what her son was up to! She had felt shame in the past few years, not having any achievements to share with others over her child while others praised their own having done some accomplishments in sports or grades.

Humming to herself, she turned in for the night.

In Hikaru's room, he played another game of Go against Sai on a second, cheaper, spruce _goban_—dragging the board up and down the stairs got tiring after awhile, and his dad had decided to get his son a second board for Hikaru's room for studying purposes. The entire family including Sai had agreed the more expensive _goban _looked beautiful in the living room. Sai couldn't stop dancing with joy, especially after Hikaru's dad decided he wanted to learn Go himself. Grandpa could absolutely not be more pleased with the news when that day had happened.

_"Hey dad, want to play a game?" Hikaru asked._

_"Sure, it's good to have a real board for once," Masao replied._

_"What, you are playing Go? Really?" grandpa asked his son, looking at Hikaru and back at Masao. "Really?"_

_"Yes, dad," he said with a sigh. "After all these years, too."_

_"Oh, this day has finally arrived! To think… oh, what blessed day this is!" grandpa said, doing a jig in his son's living room. "And to think I only came here to drop off the goban and maybe play a game with Hikaru! Everyone is learning Go!"_

Hikaru smiled in rememberance as he placed the next hand against Sai.

"Sai, thanks for making me talk to my family about Go,_"_ he said. Sai smiled. "I had no idea… that things would change this much because I invited them into my world. I thought they wouldn't be interested, not being able to understand what I was doing. Thought them stupid, actually."

"Never underestimate the power of love your parents have for you. You'll understand when you have kids of your own."

"That's a long ways off, Sai!" he exclaimed, not wanting to think about settling down any time soon. Sai chuckled, and it seemed off to Hikaru "Sai?"

"Hm?"

"Did you have a family?"

"No, but it was a dream of mine. I had to content myself with teaching children to play Go. So, I can at least imagine what it means to be a parent."

Hikaru stared at his ghostly friend for a moment. "I'm sorry, Sai."

Sai laughed, "It's all right, I've had a thousand years to let go of my regrets over my old life. Except for that last game."

Hikaru didn't speak after that, not knowing what to say, and decided to focus on the game between them again.

A few hands later, Sai spoke up. "If you had placed this stone here instead of there, your stones would not be in a_tari_," Sai said, pointing to a place on the board with his fan.

"Aww man!" Hikaru said, frowning. "Hm, I see, I see, so if I had placed there, then I could also attack that group too…"

"Exactly, Hikaru."

* * *

"Ready to go in, Hikaru?" Mitsuko asked, looking at the formidable building before her. It was where her son would all but sleep for the foreseeable future. "But should you really wear that wig?"

"Mom! Shut up!" Hikaru whispered to her, looking around carefully. "Remember my reasons? I worked it out, and, it's basically this—I have a twin."

"Hmm…" she stared at her son with dubious looks. She let out a sigh for a moment. "Well, as long it doesn't hurt your future."

"I'm trying to ease it in, and I will reveal it after a time as people get used to the idea that I have… I'm good. I won't lie or anything if people ask, mom."

"That's good at least. That's what I raised you—not to lie to people about who you are, Hikaru."

Hikaru nodded once then went inside, glad that no one had appeared to overhear their conversation.

'_Who was that kid? Wasn't he with Ogata-sensei awhile ago? Why would he need to act as though he is a twin?_' Waya thought, leaning against a pillar, sipping juice through the juice box's straw. "A twin, eh? We'll see about that. "

He squeezed the carton into a crushed mess and chucked it out into the trashcan before going in for the afternoon match against Ochi.

Hikaru followed the teacher into the room, and his mom followed.

"Your situation is rather unique, Shindou-san," Shinoda said to the boy. "Dante-san explained as much as he was able to me. I don't know the specifics, but if you are willing to do both for the time being, then I suppose—well, Ogata-sensei did put in a very good word in for you. He can be a difficult man at times, so to get a good word from him about anyone is quite impressive."

"Heh, thank you sir," Hikaru said, scratching his head.

"Now, this…" he said, looking at the _kifu _in his hands. "I don't quite understand. Maybe that is why Ogata and Dante were not able to explain very well to me in the difference of _Kifu_. I had already seen the _kifu_ for your pro exams."

"I can explain that, sir," his mom spoke up, and Hikaru looked at her with a puzzled look.

"What is that, ma'am?"

"They are twins, the one taking the pro is, er," she looked at him for a moment and winced, "the smarter of the two at Go. The smarter one's real name is Sai, and this one is Hikaru."

'_Mom?! How did you know about Sai?_' Hikaru thought, panicking on the inside, but he restrained himself from blowing up at her.

The teacher raised an eyebrow at her and then at her son.

"Or at least, that's the story we're sort of building," she said, chuckling. "It won't last, but just to ease him in into the world of Go."

"Ease him in? What do you mean by that?"

"I'll play you two different games," Hikaru said, thinking a moment. "If you promise not to leak it out too soon."He asked, looking at the ghost to his right, "Sai?"he whispered.

"Right here, Hikaru," he said, looking at the teacher with a determined face.

"Hikaru?" his mom asked, confused.

"Sorry mom, it's hard to even explain it to the pros," he said, scratching his cheek nervously.

"Hmm…" the teacher muttered and thought, '_I'll go along with this, because I am not sure where this is going_._' _Shinoda pulled out a second _goban_ from behind him. Then they played.

Shinoda and Hikaru played a few hands, but the teacher noticed a great disparity of strength on the boards. The one on the left cried experience and power, but on the right screamed beginner. Shinoda did a double take, it seemed as though Hikaru was barely paying any attention to the game on the left, yet was able to play to this skill level. Shinoda took a cursory look around the room for any mirrors or cameras that might show the boy the current game on the left, but found nothing. The boy's eyes rarely strayed to the left board except to place a stone, giving full attention to the board on the right.

Was the boy even looking—no, _studying_—the left board?

"I resign," Shinoda said, gesturing to the board on the left. Hikaru barely gave a nod, refocusing on his own game.

_'His own game? The left game was never his to play?_' Shinoda thought, startled.

"That's enough, Hikaru, I was only gauging your skill level. I never let the potential students play the full game during their interviews."

"Oh, okay," Hikaru said, sitting up. Shinoda looked at Mitsuko, who also looked confused, studying the boards.

_'Does she understand Go?_' he wondered and decided to ask later. "Hikaru, I suppose I will have to accept the fact that there's two Go to you, just as Ogata-sensei was saying. There is no need for you to be playing a twin."

"B-but—"

"I am the director here, Shindou-san, and I can make sure your pro and insei schedules will never conflict. However, it will be a busy one, I hope you can understand."

"I do, sir," Hikaru said after a moment of surprise. "But I'm afraid of being hounded by loads of people, asking questions…"

"That's a part of the Go Institute's job, to make sure that our players are not… unduly disturbed by others. After all, playing Go is very much a mental discipline."

Shinoda could see on the boy's face just like the sun rising in the East—it seemed as though a huge burden had been lifted off the boy's shoulders. And, if he was not mistaken, were those tears in the boy's eyes? Mentally shaking his head, he smiled at Hikaru.

"Welcome to the ranks of insei. Would you like to meet the students here?"

"I would like that, sir," Hikaru said, grinning, looking at the boy's right. Shinoda did notice the boy's tendency to look there. It was the exact spot where the (Shinoda's) left board had been played. Did that mean something?

_'Well, maybe the mystery will be revealed one day…_' he thought, getting to his feet.

* * *

Inside the study room, Hikaru looked around, surprised by the number of kids here. "Wow."

"Oh, you passed?" a boy asked, looking at Hikaru.

"I did, I'll be here in a month as an insei," he replied, walking over to where the boy was discussing the game with another student. "My name is Shindou, Shindou Hikaru."

"Waya Yoshitaka," he said, grinning. "What happened to your wig?"

Hikaru's face grew hot, and stammered—Shinoda and his mom had left to discuss some important stuff like waivers.

"That was… that was…"

"Hey, don't pick on him, Waya!" an older boy scolded him.

"I kid, I kid, sorry, Shindou, geez, Isumi."

The boy Waya had been discussing with was Isumi Shinichiro, as Hikaru had learned.

"So, what was the story with the twin, or something?" Waya asked.

"Y-you heard…" Hikaru said, still not recovered from having been found out. "Um… well, it's… complicated."

"Whatever, we'll know more about each other in about a month. Maybe."

"Maybe?" Hiakru asked.

"We're taking the pro exams. Well, we have to do the prelims first, though. We're not obligated to come to the institute on insei days if we're taking the exam."

"Oh, I see… then I'll see you in the prelims then," Hikaru said, nodding.

"Hah? But you just became an insei!" Waya exclaimed.

"Like I said, it's complicated," Hikaru said, scratching his head. "That's why I wanted to do the twin story, but Shinoda decided it was not needed. The Go world could do with a mystery story or two, or something like that is what he said."

Isumi and Waya looked at each other for a moment.

"Play me a game!" Waya demanded.

"I would like to play too," another insei piped in.

"I can play a double game," Hikaru offered. "And you are?"

"Call me Fuku," he said in greeting.

"Double game, eh? You can't spend more time on each hand, you know."

"I know, I won't even need to look at the second board but to play a hand here and there."

"That's insanity. You better not do that to me," Waya said, glaring at Hikaru. HIkaru grinned.

"I think I will."

"Why you!"

"Hikaru, let's go home."

"Aw, mom, can I stay another hour, please?" Hikaru begged.

"Yes, please, Shindou-san!" Waya said, piping up. "I want to play a game against him!"

Shinoda chuckled, "You might, in about a week for the prelims."

"So, he wasn't joking!" Waya exclaimed, spinning on Hikaru.

The bleached bang boy only grinned and an idea came to his mind. Hikaru wrote his phone number down. "Please share my number with Isumi-san, and Fuku-san. I hope to meet up with you guys soon."

"Hikaru," his mom called again, pushing him to hurry. She had to get food ready for dinner, and needed to buy a few things on the way.

"Coming, mom! Nice to meet you all, bye! Thank you again, Shinoda-sensei," he said, bowing to the teacher before leaving to get his shoes on.

"Who is that kid, sensei?" Waya complained to the teacher.

"An interesting kid," he replied. "You'll know more about him in a week."

"Isn't he Sai's disciple?" Isumi asked. Shinoda's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sai?" he asked, remembering that Mitsuko had said the fake name. "What about Sai?"

"Do you know of him, sir?" Waya asked, calming down.

"No, not really, I thought it was a fake name for his twin. It means something more?"

Waya stared at his teacher for a moment, "Sai is on Net Go, and he's undefeated. Even pros across the world cannot beat him. Sai said, one day, that he had a disciple placing the stones for him, like a proxy, because he can't hold the stones himself."

"Really!" Shinoda said, smiling. He turned to leave, "Really, it makes sense now… a proxy, huh? What does that all mean? Interesting, how interesting! It would be interesting if that were true that they are the same Sai…"

Waya looked at Isumi and Fuku, wondering what to make of their new insei, and soon to be pro exam entrant.

"I heard Touya Akira is entering too, the exams," Fuku said after a moment.

"The exams this year… is going to be intense," Isumi said, feeling his stomach clench with anxiety.

"For sure," Waya agreed.

* * *

"What were those two games about, Hikaru?" she asked her son, cooking dinner while Hikaru studied the _kifu_ on the dining room table.

"Oh, that," Hikaru said, fumbling around in his mind. "Well, it's like Shinoda-sensei said, it's complicated and hard to explain. Not even pros would understand, mom. If I tried to explain it to you…" he looked at Sai. "Yeah, I would seriously short-circuit your brain, no offense, mom. But of all the things I've been explaining, this one just can't be explained. Not now at least."

She still looked dubious.

"Mom, if I thought it would make you worry less if I explained, then I would, but, please, trust me on this."

"So, you're saying I would worry more if you explained?" she asked, almost casually.

"…That's a trick, question, mom," Hikaru complained. She chuckled and faced her son.

"All right, I will trust you on this point, as long as it doesn't put your life in danger in any way."

"It won't, it doesn't; in fact, it's what has, um, how did you put it, help me grow up?" he said.

"I guess so, Hikaru," she said, resuming her meal-making.

'_Phew, she backed off, Sai_,' he thought, looking at the _kifu_ he got on Ogata-sensei against a title-holder of Tengen. It was their first game.

"You've gotten better at hiding things, while making them feel satisfied with what information they have, Hikaru," Sai commented.

"Heh, heh, yeah…"

"Good game?" his mom asked, appearing at his shoulder, causing Hikaru to jump in fright.

"Gah! Mom! Little warning, please!"

"Sorry, honey," she said absent-mindedly, moving away again.

"And, no, mom, I was just thinking about something else. I got distracted… Say, mom, how did you know about Sai?"

"Hm? Oh, I hear you say the name a few times to yourself, so that's what came to my mind," she replied.

Hikaru wondered if he should be worried at the response.

"And, what do you make of that?"

"Oh, I figured it was one of your imaginary friends," she said as though it was an obvious answer.

Hikaru wanted to scream, no, he most certainly did _not _have an imaginary friend then stopped himself. '_Okay, maybe I'll let her think that if she wants to. No need to agonize her over this… I'll just have to _stop_ talking out loud._'

"Well, I guess that's fine, mom," Hikaru said, resuming his studies.

* * *

Hikaru got a phone call a few days later and found it was from Waya.

"Want to meet up and play?" Waya asked after their customary greetings.

"Sure, when?" Hikaru asked, looking forward to meeting the insei.

"Got time today?"

"Umm," he looked at Sai. "Yeah, I do, where?"

* * *

Hikaru found Waya and Isumi sitting on the bench nearby where they would meet.

"Isumi, Waya!"

"Shindou!" Waya said, getting up, followed by Isumi. "Ready to get pounded?"

"Not exactly, you won't," Hikaru retorted.

"Guys, guys, let's go in," Isumi said, grimacing at the looks they were getting from other people.

Sitting down with the _goban_ between Hikaru, and Isumi and Waya. Sat took his place in front of Waya's board.

"Are you seriously going to play both of us?" Waya asked, frowning.

"Yeah, people will just have to get used to me playing twice, starting with you guys," Hikaru replied and began playing, and he let Sai play Waya just to spite the boy.

Halfway through the game, Waya resigned with a frown on his face, looking at Hikaru.

'_Is he Sai of Net Go? But…_' he thought, looking at the game between Shindou and Isumi. '_Shindou is playing poor against Isumi. What is Shindou playing at? I hope Isumi doesn't feel insulted by _that_ game. I know I would be._'

He thought for a moment, and remembered something. '_Shindou never looked at our game at all._'

He really wanted to find out the answer to the mystery now, but he waited until the game finished. Some minutes later, Waya heard Shindou resign.

"What's the meaning of this?" Waya demanded.

Isumi was silent, studying the boards between them for a moment and blinked.

"I don't understand," Isumi said, looking at Shindou.

"Like I said, get used to the mystery," Hikaru said, ignoring the indignant expression on Waya, "I'm trying to learn Go, Isumi-san, so please be patient with me. This is the insei me."

"And this," Waya said, pointing to their board, "is the pro you?" Hikaru nodded. "What are you?"

"Just a kid with a secret," Hikaru grinned. "Want me to switch?"

Isumi and Waya looked at each other nervously.

"Sure," Isumi accepted the offer to play the pro Hikaru. Waya nodded. Hikaru switched places with Sai, and faced Waya.

"Man, I thought I was close to securing that group!" Hikaru complained as they left the salon.

"You just needed to place that stone where I pointed out, and not where you placed it," Isumi said with patience.

"I know," Hikaru said with a sigh. "Thanks for playing with me today, guys."

"Anytime, weird kid," Waya said, grinning. "Next time, go out to eat with us."

Hikaru grinned, "Right, see you in two days!"

"Waya, you shouldn't call him weird," Isumi said as they walked away.

"But he seems fine by it!"

"Would you like to be called a freak or a snob?"

"…No, I wouldn't, I was just…" Waya said as their voices trailed off into the distance.

Hikaru looked at Sai, and both laughed as they went home.

* * *

Hikaru found himself at the Institute again, steeling his resolve. '_Ready, Sai? It's all yours_,' he thought.

"Yay, yay, I'm playing strong opponents today!" he said, dancing around Hikaru. He still couldn't believe the difference of Sai's personality, and his Go. They entered the building and signed in.


	5. Chapter 5

Hikaru left the building on the third day of the prelims with three straight wins, to no one's surprise if they had already known of his strength. Including the today's loser—Touya Akira had drawn the unlucky number two days ago.

"Shindou!" someone called out to him, stopping Hikaru from turning a corner. He saw Waya running up to him.

"What's up?"

"I..." Waya began, looking for words to say. "I saw the game today between you and Touya."

"And?" Hikaru pressed, wondering what Waya was trying to say.

"You're unbelievably strong. Do you ever get your Go confused? That was something I've been wondering about."

"Confuse my two Go? That's impossible," Hikaru said, raising his eyebrows as though it should be obvious.

"What do you mean, confuse your two Go?" someone said, joining the group. It was Touya, and he looked like he had witnessed his puppy die to a vicious dog.

"I'll explain it another day, Touya, Waya," Hikaru said with a dismissive hand. "Sorry I trashed you today, though."

Touya frowned at the casual way Hikaru was dismissing him. Even his apology sounded half-hearted.

"You don't know, Touya?" Waya said. "Huh, well, I suppose he'll explain it one day. You wouldn't believe it otherwise."

Clenching his fist, Touya glared at the red-headed boy. "I wasn't talking to _you_."

"I need to get home, I'm sorry, Touya," Hikaru said, his hands fidgeting with impatience. "Bye, good luck with the rest of the prelims this week, you two."

Touya glared at the boy's retreating back. '_If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't need to come back tomorrow. Why won't _anyone_ tell me _anything_?_'

Even his father had proven to be more than elusive in getting answers from concerning Shindou.

"_Akira, where are you going?" his mom said, stopping the boy from leaving the house._

"_Oh, um, I…" Akira stammered, wanting to keep track where his father was going from the window._

"_You can't be thinking of following your father, can you? He just ordered you to stay, Akira," she said, frowning. "I thought you were better than this."_

"_But mom, there's something I need to know, and he's hiding that something from me!"_

_"Go back to your room, Akira."_

_"No, mom, I need to go!"_

"Akira_, if you do not go back to your room right this moment, I will have to ground you," she said, and Akira looked as though he was punched in the stomach._

_He had never been grounded before._

_"Yes, _ground_ you, if I have to. Please don't make me," she said, looking a little distressed._

"_Yes mom," he said so dejectedly that Akiko was ready to change her mind, but stopped herself as she watched her son retreat further inside the house._

Akira wished to never experience that again from his parents. The rest of the week had been subdued, wishing to ask the questions that were at the tip of his tongue, but every time he did, he saw that look in his father's eyes and backed down.

One night, his father had talked to Akira.

"_Akira," he said, looking up from the board to his son at his side. "I know you want to know what it is about Shindou, but I need to ask you to keep your questions to yourself. When the day comes, you will be an example to the Go world."_

"_What do you mean by that, father?"_

"_There are things about Shindou that can never be told. If the world knew, it would create a upheaval, even in the public. Government officials would be involved, the science community… FBI from the United States..."_

_Akira stared at his father, wondering what it was about Shindou that would even garner the attention of someone like the FBI._

"_So, for his sake, for all our sakes as students of Go, it is best that the things about Shindou to remain a mystery, and to do that, you need to stop asking questions."_

Akira's scowling expression darkened when he heard the red-headed boy muttering off about Shindou.

"I can't believe he beat Touya, oh, this is rich…" the boy had said, drifting away. Akira felt his face twitch and walked in another direction—his home.

* * *

Hikaru entered the room at the Japanese Go Association where other insei were milling about. Swallowing nervously, he lingered by the door.

All through the past four weeks, he had been spending time with Fuku, Waya, and Isumi, and on occasion, other insei. Hikaru knew there was no reason to be nervous on his first day, having known at least some of the faces here. Even Sai was there as a morale support. Nevertheless, the jitters still continued their dance in his stomach. Sai wisely chose to remain silent.

"Shindou-san, good morning," Shinoda greeted him as he entered the room. "How have you been?"

"All right, nervous, but excited, sensei," was the reply. Shinoda chuckled.

"I heard you've been meeting up with some of the insei here?"

"Yeah," Hikaru said, feeling as though maybe he shouldn't have. Shinoda smiled in a comforting way.

"No worries, I am very pleased to see that you have taken the initiative to get together with others to study Go outside of classes."

Reassured, Hikaru grinned. Shinoda introduced Hikaru to the other insei.

"…and will need quite a bit of help. His Go is rather poor right now, so please be patient with him," Shinoda was saying to the class. "The other thing I will be asking of you, as well as everyone in this building is to refrain from pestering Shindou-san to any questions he does not want to answer, and those who persist will be disciplined. You do not want to find out what disciplinary action I will take. This will be including those who are pros, Go staff, and reporters, and they will be informed of this as well."

The group of insei stared at Shindou with extreme curiosity. Only those who had met Hikaru already were staring at the teacher with some form of fear and guilt.

"Now, let us begin," Shinoda continued, appearing satisfied that the students were not asking questions. "Shindou, please take a seat over there, yes…"

* * *

Leaving for the day, Hikaru got his shoes on, being the last insei to leave the building. The receiving room was now mostly empty except for Dante-san manning the welcome desk. Standing up, he grabbed his bag and shouldered it. At the end of one hall, he spotted an old man walking with another younger man. Pausing to let them go first, he bowed his respects to his elders.

The old man looked at him for a moment with a curious gaze. Hikaru raised his eyebrows, realizing the old man was acknowledging him.

"Ah, excuse me sir, how do you do?" Hikaru asked, bowing again.

"I am well, and you, boy?"

"Good, I had a good first day as an insei, sir," Hikaru replied with a smile.

The old man cackled, "A new insei, eh? What's your name, boy?"

"Shindou Hikaru, sir, and you are?"

The younger man looked at Hikaru in aghast, but the old man did not skip a beat.

"Just call me Kuwabara," the old man said, scrolling away.

"That man…" Sai began, watching the retreating back of Kuwabara. "My Go sense is telling me he is a—was a formidable man."

'_Was_?' Hikaru asked, frowning.

"I'm not sure, I think he is still formidable in his own right against other players, but… against me? He might have made me run for my money in his younger days…" Sai said, tapping his chin with his fan with a thoughtful look.

Hikaru shrugged and then went home for the day, saying goodbye to Dante-san on the way out.

* * *

The first day of the prelims dawned bright and early, and unknown to Hikaru, the International Go Amateur Tournament was in an upheaval about Sai. Once others had learned that Sai was not at the tournament, they began to speculate who the Saint of Net Go might be. Waya had offered up the answer to that question—a mere kid.

_"I think I recognize his style," Waya told the group of amateurs. "But I can't be sure, and he won't confirm that he plays Net Go."_

_"Are you sure?" the man from Netherlands asked. "I do not believe that he could only be a kid. Is this kid going pro?"_

_"That's the thing, he is, and he also just became an insei," Waya said, frowning._

_"Maybe he's trying to polish his skills while taking the exam?" the Chinese representative asked._

_"No, it's because he has two Go, and the one Go he's taking the pro exam with resembles Sai's style," Waya continued._

_"Two Go? I don't' understand," the Netherlands man said._

_"I don't either, sir," Waya said._

_"Waya, get over here!" Morishita yelled, "I need your help with something." _

_Waya excused himself from the discussion with a pang of regret on his face._

Hikaru scrolled into the building and got ready for the tournament. Sai was preparing himself for the matches for the coming two months.

"Morning, Shindou," Touya greeted him. Hikaru remembered that Waya and Isumi had failed the prelims, but Touya had passed on the fourth day.

"Good morning, Touya!" Hikaru said, glad to have found a familiar face. "Want to order lunch in or go out?"

"Um…" Akira began, blinking in surprise. "Well…"

"He doesn't eat during his matches," Ogata said, walking up towards them. "I can eat with you, if you like, Shindou."

Ogata's stare was filled with such intensity, Hikaru knew he had no choice but to eat lunch with the guy. Mentally grimacing, he accepted the offer.

"Well, good luck on the exams," he told the boys then went upstairs via the elevator.

"Is he always that pushy?" Hikaru asked Touya, following the green haired boy into the examination room.

"He can be… rather difficult at times," Touya confirmed with a nod as he took a seat.

Hikaru frowned, wondering if the man's personality was the reason he divulged his secret about his ghost. The man had a too commanding presence about him, and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach about his lunch appointment. Would Ogata-sensei have Hikaru committed to a mental institution, despite his promise not to, and despite the proof to the contrary?

At least today he would not be playing, but Sai, otherwise he would lose his first match in this exam.

After he drew the lots with other entrants, and later learned that Sai would be playing Touya on day 25 of the exams. He watched Touya study the schedule, and saw a determined expression and then looked at Hikaru.

"So, we play on the 25th, I will be stronger by then," Touya declared, leaving Hikaru to take his designated spot. Hikaru felt a sweat drip down his forehead, but excitement rolled in his stomach, he really was starting to enjoy Go to a greater extent. The various emotions he experienced whenever he played a hand, or watching in horror or with pleasure whenever his opponent had played their turn. Clenching his fist, he walked over to his spot where the proctor had pointed out.

Today's opponent was Mashiba Mitsuru, who was wearing a rather nasty expression. Hikaru took an immediate dislike to the boy.

"Ready to be crushed, shrimp?"

"You can try, but you'll have your head severed first," Hikaru replied coolly.

"Why you-!"

"Please begin," the proctor announced, and the boys performed _nigiri_. Mashiba did not look pleased at not having his last word in.

'_Sai, can you crush him so badly that he won't recover his losses for the next two weeks?_' Hikaru asked.

Sai smiled, "With pleasure. He is a very disrespectful boy. I'll teach him a lesson."

Sai got black, and called out the upper left _kosumi_.

* * *

"…I… no… " Mashiba began, studying the board with an expression akin to horror. He bowed his head, "I resign."

Hikaru smiled and thanked Mashiba for the game, then got up to stamp their winning.

'_I think you did more than sever his head, Sai,_' Hikaru said, pleased to watch Mashiba leave the building as though he was being chased by hellhounds. Then he heard the announcement of lunch time and other would-be pros took a break for lunch. Touya spotted Hikaru hanging by the table where entrants would stamp their wins and opponent's loss. and narrowed his eyes.

"Did you win?" Touya asked, and Hikaru nodded with a grin.

"I hope you can crush him too, Touya. He was pretty pathetic, but maybe you might have a hard time…" Hikaru taunted as they walked out of the room.

"I will not!" Touya grounded out. Hikaru laughed and stopped when he saw Ogata walking towards them.

"How are the matches going?"

"I'm done, I've already stamped a win, sensei," Hikaru replied. This warranted an eyebrow raise from Ogata, but said nothing as he looked at Touya.

"I'm in _chuuban_, sensei," Touya said, and Ogata nodded.

"Do well, Akira-kun. Now, excuse us then," Ogata said, leaving with Hikaru.

At a sushi place not far from the Go Association, Hikaru sat down across from Ogata.

"Order whatever you want, my treat," he said to Hikaru, glancing at the piece of paper, marking how many pieces he wanted for different variety of sushi. Hikaru did the same. Once their order was placed, Ogata wasted no time in talking about Go.

"How are your insei studies coming along?"

"Well enough, sir," Hikaru said, sipping coking from a straw. "Did you win the right to challenge Ouza yet, Ogata-sensei?"

Ogata chuckled, "No, someone else did, Zama-sensei. There'll be more opportunities in the future for me to win a title, however."

The waitress came back with the first course, miso soup for both.

"I've told Touya Meijin of your story," Ogata said, causing Hikaru to start coughing on his soup.

"You did _what_, sensei? I don't want people to know about me and Sai, sir!" Hikaru said, ignoring Sai's words to calm down. "The more people that know, the more chances that I will be chucked into the loony bin."

"There will be no chance of that, Shindou-kun," Ogata said, wiping his face off Hikaru's spittle with his napkin with a disgusted face. Hikaru cringed.

"Sorry for spitting out like that, you caught me by surprise, sensei."

"I'll make sure not to break any news to you while you're eating or drinking in the future," Ogata said with a dead-pan. "However, Touya-sensei does want to play a game with you. From what I have gathered, Sai has yet to lose on Net Go, correct?"

Hikaru nodded slowly, wondering where this was going.

"I purpose that you come to the study group later today at Touya's residence. Do you have time?"

"Will there be other people there?" Hikaru asked with a frown, finishing his miso soup. "I rather not play while others are watching."

"All you need to do is let Sai play. Not your Go just yet. Touya-sensei only wants to gauge Sai's Go."

Hikaru mulled it over, sipping coke for a moment. Their sushi arrived and he sat up and pushed coke to the side, and grabbed chopsticks. Sai was being noisy, wanting, demanding to play the Meijin, but Hikaru ignored as he dunked the spider roll into soy sauce mixed with wasabi and ate it in one bite.

"I guess I could do that," Hikaru said at last, after swallowing the chewed sushi.

"Excellent," Ogata said, smirking as he ate a spicy tuna sushi roll.

* * *

Hikaru followed Ogata inside the Touya residence and entered a room of what appeared to be the Go study room. He followed Ogata's example by sitting in a circle with other students of Go. Touya-sensei or junior were not there yet, Hikaru noticed. Sai sat behind Hikaru, excited for the game that he was about to play.

"Nervous?" Ogata asked, and Hikaru knew who he was asking—Sai.

"I am very excited, Ogata-san," Sai said, wearing a 100-watt smile.

"I am very excited, Ogata-san," Hikaru said, grinning. Sai's excitement was contagious, and now Hikaru was looking forward to the match.

"Good, it will be a good game," Ogata said, leaning back from Hikaru.

"Who's this kid?" someone asked, looking at Hikaru curiously.

"His name is Shindou Hikaru," Ogata replied. "Shindou-kun, this is Ashiwara-san, 3-dan."

"Pleased to meet you," both said, bowing.

"Aren't you the Shindou that beat Touya-kun some months ago?" Ashiwara asked, Hikaru nodded, embarrassed. "So, we finally get to meet you!"

The shoji door opened again, and the Touya senior and junior appeared, with another student of Go behind the pair.

"It seems everyone is here, let us begin the meeting," Touya Meijin said as the three took their places in the circle. "Ah," he said, noticing Hikaru, "We have a new student joining us today?"

Hikaru bowed, "Please receive me well, sensei," he said. "My name is Shindou Hikaru."

"Pleased to meet you, Shindou-kun," Touya Meijin said, bowing back. Touya senior introduced Hikaru to the group. After the introductions, he turned to Hikaru, "Shindou, would you… play me a game?"

Hikaru caught the deeper meaning behind the request and smiled, "Yes sir. It will be a great game to witness."

"Finally!" Sai exclaimed, moving closer to Hikaru as they prepared the _goban_. "A game with the person who is the closest to the Hand of God…" he said quietly, snapping his fan open as he stared intently at the man before him.

Hikaru knew better than to say anything when Sai was like this, and prepared himself to become the proxy for Sai once more. The people in the room took notice of the pair and became curious, as though they could sense the electricity that was in the air—thick with tension. No one dared to speak for fear of being shocked by the electric air.

Akira, too, was looking forward to this game. He wondered who might be the winner in this game.

"Nigiri," his father said, and they did so. Kouyo won black.

After a moment of decision, Kouyo placed the black stone on upper left _kosumi_. Sai asked Hikaru to place it on the adjacent _kosumi _a moment later. The war of the titans began.


	6. Chapter 6

'_This style… resembles Shuusaku's,_' Kouyo thought as he played a hand at 10-14. He looked up to look at the boy. '_It makes sense that the ghost of Shuusaku's would have the same style, even if he has learned modern Go._'

Shindou played a hand in response to the 10-14 stone, and Kouyo paused. He did not consider this move, and he counted the points to the end of game. '_Is there no way to turn this game around?_' he thought, and found nothing.

"I resign," Kouyo said, to the surprise of others in the room.

"What? But you guys were even! How?" Ashiwara exclaimed, looking at the board carefully.

"You are a very formidable player," Kouyo said, wishing he could see the ghost. Sai beamed at the praise, feeling full of elation in playing this game. "I look forward to playing many more games with you."

"I do too, Touya-san," Sai said, bowing.

"I do too, Touya-sensei," Hikaru passed the message, the boy kept looking at the board, amazed by the clash of the titans facing off on this board.

"This game needs to be recorded," Akira said, marking the stones down. The others agreed, helping the boy with the record while Kouyo, Ogata, and Hikaru studied the board with Sai.

"Is there no other way for you to win?" Ogata asked, frowning. Kouyo's silence was his response to the question.

At the end of the study session, Hikaru left go go home, walking with Ogata to the train station.

"I never thought I'd witness a game like that," Ogata said.

"It went over my head a little," Hikaru admitted. "But it is a beautiful game. Sai can't be any happier. He's dancing like a lunatic right now."

True to Hikaru's words, Sai was singing and dancing around the pair as they walked, exclaiming how powerful Touya Kouyo had been and looked forward to many games with the man.

Ogata chuckled, "I wish I could meet him personally."

"Yeah…" Hikaru agreed.

* * *

Hikaru played a hand on the board against Sai later that week.

"That was a poor hand, Hikaru," Sai instructed, pointing to a better hand in response to Sai's previous hand. Hikaru studied the board, trying to see what Sai was showing. "Here, let's play out what would happen if you kept with the poor hand."

A few hands later, he saw that his group was in danger.

"Ah," Hikaru said, as though a light bulb lit up in his mind. "So that other hand would strengthen that group sooner."

Sai grinned, he loved when he saw those _ah-ha _moments in his students. Hikaru was no exception.

"You are getting better, Hikaru," Sai said as Hikaru cleared the stones off the board when the game was finished.

"Am I?" he asked, appearing a little discouraged. "I'm going to be forever the 27th student in the rankings, Sai! I want to move up and get into class 2!"

"Patience, my young grasshopper," Sai said, snapping his fan shut to emphasize his point. "All things in life needs practice, even those with the talent needs to practice. No one is born a perfect artist."

"Or a perfect Go player?" Hikaru grumbled. "But you…"

"..had a thousand years, Hikaru," he said, tapping the fan in his hands with an air of patience to emphasize his point.

Hikaru pouted, "And that's really not fair, you know. No one can equal to you."

"Not true, there's the Meijin."

Hikaru ignored him and got up from the ground and stretched, "Man, I feel like doing something different for a change. My mind is full of images of Go, and all the different ways I could play. How do you manage that?"

Sai blinked, surprised by the question.

"I… you're supposed to manage the patterns of stones that are constantly in your thoughts?"

Hikaru looked at Sai with a sour look, "I shouldn't have asked. You practically breathe Go. As for me, it's driving me insane, whenever I see something remotely black and white, I immediately think Go. If I look at a painting, somehow I see Go within its shadows. If I watched a movie, what do I see? I see Go!"

Sai felt a sweat drop forming at his temple at Hikaru's words. Hikaru sighed, "But I do like Go, so I'll stop complaining, and read some manga for a time."

"All right, Hikaru," Sai said, not sure what else to say to his student.

Thirty minutes later, Hikaru sat up suddenly, throwing his book at the wall, "I can't stop seeing stones in my head!"

"You know, now that you've mentioned that," Sai said after a moment, "I realized how much it occupies my mind…"

"Every second of your eternal life, huh?" he guessed, and the ghost nodded with a serious expression.

"I don't know how one would stop seeing Go in their thoughts. I probably wouldn't want it to stop…"

"Well, I for one, don't," Hikaru said. "How can I make it stop?"

He thought for a moment, laying back down on the bed.

"Distraction for a period of time, maybe? Hikaru muttered, looking outside. "You know, I haven't gone out with friends and do normal stuff since I started playing Go."

"What normal stuff?" Sai asked, tilting his head with curiosity.

"Arcade, eat ramen, go to the shopping district, laugh at people who are dressed up in Shinjuku…" Hikaru said and chuckled when Sai stared at him with confusion. "Maybe I should call some friends up and show you the sights."

"You would?" Sai asked, perking up at the possibility of seeing the modern world outside of Go.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

"Wow! That room full of lights was so amazing, and filled with tall boxes that flashes light at you!" Sai exclaimed, following Hikaru out of the arcade with his friends from his elementary school days. "I thought I would go blind after awhile! And deaf... I really don't like all that noise, though.." he said, frowning.

Hikaru felt pleased, grinning from ear to ear, chatting with his friends about what games they had played and who managed to get their names onto the High Score List.

'_Pretty neat, huh, Sai?_' Hikaru asked his ghostly friend. "Where we wanna go next?" he asked his friends.

"Let's go get some ramen," Tetsuo suggested, and it was readily agreed upon by others in the group.

"What have you been up to, Hikaru-kun?" Tetsuo asked, walking alongside him.

"I've been getting into Go."

"What! That old man's game?" Kuma exclaimed, looking at Hikaru. "I thought you were going to try to get on the soccer team at Haze. I just made the team at my school."

Hikaru laughed, "No, it's not an old man's game. Many kids play it too, you know. It's pretty addicting."

His friends stared at him with dubious and suspicious looks.

"You've changed, Hikaru-kun," Tetsuo said after a moment. "Maybe I should check this game out sometime."

"Careful, you don't want to become obsessed with it, and become an otaku out of it," Kuma warned, and the others laughed. Hikaru glared at Kuma.

"Not cool, man," Hikaru said as they entered a ramen place. "Just you wait-"

Hikaru stopped and looked around at the restaurant, blinking in surprise. The theme of the place was decked out in Go. He saw one of the signs announcing a Go Special. Upon reading it, he learned that if you solved some problems, you could win ice cream.

'_I can't get away from Go, wherever I go, I run into something related to the game!_' Hikaru thought with chagrin. He looked at the person manning the cashier and saw a man wearing a name tag that said Raito Rae.

"I'd like to try the Go special," Hikaru said after placing his order. The man smiled and asked for Hikaru's skill level, and then got out a paper for him to solve.

"You really are into this, aren't you?" Tetsuo commented after watching Hikaru solve tsumego for a moment.

"I can't help it, wherever I go, I run into something related to Go," Hikaru said with a frown. "I thought I could get a break from it today, but when I saw this, I can't pass it up!"

"Having some trouble?" Raito asked, coming by their table with their orders.

"No mister," Hikaru replied, sitting up straight. Once the group got their food, Hikaru poured over the problems again while eating ramen, and whenever a topic of interest came up in the group conversation, Hikaru participated.

"Have you seen that movie, Ringo? Man, that was so creepy!" Kuma exclaimed after slurping up his noodles.

"I did, and I wasn't able to sleep _for day_s.." another commented.

"What movie?" Hikaru asked, curious, "Ringo?" At Kuma's nod, Hikaru shuddered. "I couldn't sleep for a week!"

"I heard the Americans are doing a remake of it," Shin spoke up.

"Are they serious?" Tetsuo asked, frowning. "I don't know if I like the idea…"

"That they're making another horror movie, or that it will be dumb and a poor imitation?" Hikaru asked after jotting down another stone on the paper.

"Hm, both, I don't like horror movies all that much."

"Hey, Raito-san! I solved it!" Hikaru called the chef. He came over and checked his work.

"Hm! You are very good, Shindou-san," he said and smiled. "I guess that means a special order of ice cream is coming right up."

Hikaru grinned and then finished his ramen quickly.

Leaving the establishment with his ice cream, he followed the group to the shopping district, and Sai followed, looking at the places around him.

"That place was very nice," Sai commented, speaking of the ramen place. "I saw my _kifu_ on one of the walls too!"

'_Really? Huh, must've been from Shuusaku's time?_'Hikaru asked and Sai nodded.

"It was a very difficult game, but I won," Sai said with a faraway look in his eyes. "I hope to play it like it again someday."

"Yo, Hikaru, check that out!" Kuma said, pointing to a sign that said _Heart of Stone_, with Go pieces on a set of grid lines. "Just the kind of place you like to hang out, huh?"

Hikaru stared at the sign for a moment, frowning. "I guess so, Kuma," he said.

"Say, we go in!" Tetsuo suggested. "I wanna learn how to play."

"No way, that stuff's lame," Shin said. The others were against the idea, and wanted to go to Shinjuku, and the group later found themselves at the shopping district. Hikaru noted the location of the Go Salon, and hoped to come back to it eventually. Maybe there would be other kids there.

Touya suddenly came to his mind and slowed his walking, falling behind in the group. '_He's something else... way too intense about Go._'

"Touya-san?" Sai asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yeah, just thinking about him makes me want to study Go more."

"What are you babbling about, Hikaru? Come on!" Kuma called out, snapping Hikaru out of his thoughts and he caught up to the group.

"Sorry, sorry…" he said, panting a little.

' _I wonder what he's been up to these days?_' he wondered, looking at windows as they passed various stores.

"Shindou?" someone called out to him and Hikaru looked.

'_Speak of the devil, and he appears…_' Hikaru thought, blinking in surprise. "Touya?"

"What are you doing here…?" he asked, trailing off when he saw Hikaru's friends.

"Just hanging out," Hikaru replied. "What about you?"

"Mom wanted me to come with her for some clothes shopping," he replied, and his cheeks warmed up to a rosy color. Hikaru looked at his clothes Touya was wearing, and he became worried for the boy.

"You are not seriously going to let her decide all the clothes, are you?"

"That's my mother you're talking about," Touya said, and the heat in his face grew.

"Akira-kun! Don't get lost now, come on!" his mom called. Akira looked up in surprise, realizing he was getting left behind and he turned to go.

"See you in a few days," Akira said, speaking of their exams.

"Right, see you."

* * *

Hikaru played a game against Sawada, trying not to let Sawada's speedy Go swallow him up, making him play faster. He closed his eyes to calm himself down as he thought of the new hand Sawada had played.

'_Where would Sai play in this instance? If I went 3-4… no, that reduces my territory, but if I went 2-3… oh, there's a good move!_' he thought, opening his eyes again as he grabbed a stone from the bowl and played the hand.

Sawada sat up in response to the new hand and studied for a moment then played a hand that Hikaru expected. He played immediately, and Sawada played next. A few fast hands later, Sawada looked up at Shindou in surprise.

"You've improved," he remarked, then they kept playing. Sawada's words cheered Hikaru's heart, buoying him up to the end of the game.

"Oh, what's this?" Shinoda said, pausing at their board. "Who won?"

"H-he did, sir," Sawada said, bowing his head in defeat.

"How did you play in this corner, Shindou-san?" Hikaru quickly explained how 2-3 had been the move to decide the game. "Very interesting, it's not something I see regularly in games these days. It's an old style _joseki_."

Hikaru scratched his cheek with embarrassment by the praise.

"Old _joseki?_" Sawada asked, frowning as he studied the board.

"This move was commonly played at least a hundred years ago," Shinoda replied. "If you had played at 4-3, Sawada-san, then you would have made this group live."

"Oh, I see it sir," Sawada said, feeling a little better after losing to the lowest ranked insei student.

* * *

"Did you see that, Sai? I got better!" Hikaru said, grinning as he threw himself onto the bed.

"I did, you are a fast study, Hikaru," Sai said, smiling at his disciple. "But there are moves in other parts of the board where it could have been improved on…"

"Of course there are," Hikaru said, frowning. "It's always a constant study of Go. There's always a better move, isn't there?"

"Not always," Sai said, thinking for a moment. "Sometimes there are moves that really are the only moves that can be played."

"Hm…" Hikaru muttered, staring at the ceiling for a moment then sat up. "Let's review the game then."

* * *

"Did you hear?" one insei asked another.

"Hear what?"

"That Shindou kid, his skills are really picking up speed," he replied.

"He beat me the other day, what protein drink has he been chugging?" another commented.

"I don't understand his growth," a fourth piped in. "He is starting to scare me."

Ogata found himself leaning against a wall, itching for a smoke, but the word 'Shindou' had stopped him from going outside, and remained where he was—hidden from view. Another moment of the conversation, Ogata crossed his arms, thinking.

It had been almost six weeks since Shindou had entered the insei program, and already was making waves in class two.

'_Maybe it's time to check in on him?_' he thought, remembering their sushi lunch a month ago. '_He has four more matches in the Go exam, and he is undefeated. He playes Akira-kun in about a week from now…_'

"Good morning!" a familiar voice called out, and the conversation in the hallway quickly died as they returned their greetings to Shindou. Ogata took this moment to meet him.

"Shindou-san, good morning," Ogata said, spotting him putting his shoes away.

"Oh, Ogata-sensei! Good morning," he said, looking surprised. Ogata bit back a remark how the boy should not be surprised to see pros at this building.

"How are your studies coming along?" Ogata asked, full aware that the other insei students were eavesdropping while appearing to try not to.

"Very well, sensei, I haven't lost a match in about two weeks now."

Ogata paused for a moment while he took in the news.

"You realize that is a phenomenal rate, Shindou-san?" He did not miss the agreeable expressions on students' faces. Shindou shrank a little, and a rosy color filled his cheeks. "How are you studying these days?"

"I study everyday, sir. Even my dreams are all about Go. It sometimes drives me nuts," he admitted.

"I'll clarify my question," Ogata said, "How _much_ do you study?"

Shindou blinked at him in surprise, "Oh, you know, from the time I get home until I go to be around 11. Oh, I study tsumego between classes at school, too. And then there's a club I am sort of a part of at school. A Go club."

"So, in a nutshell, you live and breathe Go," Ogata summarized.

Shindou grinned, appearing more bratty than he is. Ogata looked at the students who still lingered by.

"Satisfied?" Ogata asked, smirking when they realized that they had been found out.

To his amusement, they scrambled to leave the pair alone.

"Now that we're alone," Ogata said, smirking again at Shindou who now realized that their entire conversation had been heard. "How are your pro exams?"

"Well, sir, I look forward to the end of it," he replied, appearing a little miffed at being overheard by others.

"Good, keep it up," Ogata said and then excused himself to get that smoke.

* * *

The day finally arrived for Akira as he stood in front of the building. His nerves felt like they were on fire.

'_Today is the day, let's find out if I have improved or not,_' Akira thought, his face tight with tension.

"Goooooood morning, Touya!" Shindou declared himself, slapping Touya on the back, causing him to nearly lose his balance.

"Shindou!" he yelled at the boy.

"You looked so tense, I thought I could help you relax," he said, looking completely innocent. Akira narrowed and then turned to go inside without saying another word. "Geez, he's rude."

"I'm playing him today," Sai commented, looking at the boy through the glass doors.

"…Oh! So, it's today, huh?" Hikaru said, nodding. "Maybe I shouldn't have done that.." Sai let out an exasperated sigh, covering his mouth with his closed ogi-fan.

"No matter, it is in the past," Sai said. "Let us go in."

Hikaru studied Touya from across the board, and he felt his arm itch with anticipation.

'_Man, what I wouldn't give to play him,_' Hikaru thought, clenching his fists to still them. He did not want his stone to waver when he placed them. He looked to his left, seeing Sai seizing his opponent up with a steely expression. Today, apart from other days, seemed to be more intense.

Recalling the record of wins and losses, Sai and Touya were the only ones with no recorded loss. Hikaru gulped, not wanting to screw this match up for Sai by placing the wrong hand.

"Please begin," the proctor announced and the game was on.

* * *

Hikaru blinked, studying the board while he waited for Sai to order the next hand. '_This particular shape… it looks like the shape I saw before in the match with Sawada-san…_' he thought, scratching his chin in thought. '_I would play 17-16 here…_'

He heard Sai's orders and Hikaru pulled the stone out to play the hand. '_It's 17-16, isn't it?_' he thought, putting the stone down. '_Yeah, it can't be any other hand..._'

"Hikaru, no!" Sai exclaimed, trying to stop him but his fingers passed through Hikaru's hands. "Hikaru!"

Touya blinked, surprised by the hand and looked up at Hikaru for a moment and back down at the board. Hikaru felt the deep sense of dread creeping in. Had he heard Sai wrong?

"Hikaru," Sai said, sounding completely lost. "I said 17-14!"

Hikaru looked at the board and saw where Sai had intended to play. He stared at the _goban_ in horror—he had placed the group in a huge danger.

"No… No... I am so sorry, Sai," he muttered, closing his eyes. Touya's eyes snapped to Hikaru with an intense stare before playing a hand, taking advantage of the mistake.

"…half a moku loss," Hikaru announced, bowing his head in defeat.

"What happened, Shindou?" Touya asked, putting the stones away.

"Miscommunication, or lack thereof," he replied. "I'm not going to be able to sleep well tonight," he moaned, burying his face into his hands.

"I forgive you, Hikaru," Sai said, trying to cheer him up but failing when Hikaru shook his head.

"I can't be forgiven for this," he said, looking at Sai. "You can't forgive me for doing such a thing!"

"Shindou-?" Touya started to ask.

"Quiet over there, please," the proctor reprimanded them.

"Right…" Hikaru muttered, getting to his feet and left the room, his shoulder hunched. "Right..."

* * *

The ramen place is definitely inspired by the fanfic, _Hikaru no Ramen._ Even his name is based off Hikaru's, for Hikaru means Ray of light. Raito Rae. As for _Ringo_, that movie inspired "The Ring." Though I cannot be sure when exactly the movies came out, but I'm calling in artistic license in this case.


	7. Chapter 7

Akira sat at the bench for long moments. He had already stamped his win, and Hikaru's first, and hopefully the only, loss. He recalled the words Shindou had said aloud, not to him but to someone else.

'_Forgive? Lack of communication? What is he on about?_' he ran those thoughts through his mind again. He felt a headache coming on. '_This loss better not affect the rest of his games. If he loses two games, then he's out of the running, and _that_ will _not_ do._'

Determined, he decided to give Shindou a talking to before the next match tomorrow, to make sure that he would not let today's loss affect his future games. Akira did not know what he would do if Shindou failed the exams.

He rubbed his face, trying to relieve the headache.

'_I had prepared myself for a loss against Shindou before I came into the room. I did hope to win, but I wouldn't have been so devastated if I lost. Shindou probably never even thought of the possibility of losing…_' he thought, remembering the way Shindou had looked after when they counted their territory, and the way the boy had left the room.

Grabbing his bag and shouldering the strap, he headed out of the building to go to a library to do his schoolwork. As he thought of the situation with Shindou, he narrowed his eyes.

Akira clenched his right fist, '_I'll make sure he gets back on his feet._'

* * *

"Hikaru," Sai said, trying to slap him out of his moping. "Stop this, we cannot have you like this for tomorrow's match—_my_ match. I told you _I forgive you!_ It's only a loss."

Hikaru spun around on Sai, "_Only! Only_ a loss, Sai?!"

"Yes, only a loss, Hikaru," Sai said, facing Hikaru resolutely.

"But I wanted you to have the perfect record, Sai!" Hikaru yelled, waving his arms around as though trying to make a point.

"Did I want a perfect record? Look at me, Hikaru, _I don't care about having a perfect record_. You do," Sai said, sitting down before the _goban._ "You were the one who wanted the perfect record. Isn't that why you couldn't play any interesting hands on Net Go? That you had revealed yourself in wanting to learn? To play?"

Hikaru turned away from Sai, facing the window—the sun had long set. "I can't forgive myself for wanting to create my own universe, my own heaven with the stones."

The room fell silent, and Sai let out a sigh, but remained silent, trying not to be alarmed when he heard sniffles coming from the boy.

'_Oh Hikaru!_' Sai said, biting his fan to stop himself from saying anything. '_Really, I don't blame you… that hand really was an... interesting move, but you do need to realize that hands from the past may not always be the answer for the future…_ _How I envy you, watching you study Go, whereas I have very little material to study Go with, except modern techniques… But you, with a fresh, clean slate, it is very refreshing. Very exciting._'

"Hikaru," Sai said, deciding that they had been silent long enough. "You need to stop blaming yourself. You are a student, and you are also in an unique position. I can understand why you would think that hand might have made sense. And why you are beating yourself up in this way."

Hikaru looked at him, looking uncertain.

"What do you mean, you'd understand?"

Sai let out an exasperated snort, "You are a proxy, Hikaru, you play games for me. Rarely do anyone play for someone else on a regular basis, especially as often as you are playing for me."

He opened his fan, smiling, "And Hikaru, I will let you in on a little secret."

"Hm?" Hikaru looked at Sai after surreptitiously wiping his cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Torajiro made the same mistakes early on in our partnership in Go," Sai said, remembering the games Torajiro had accidentally play a hand. "I was, quite honestly, expecting you to make such a hand."

Hikaru stared at Sai for a second and his face turned into indignation. "What! You could have told me that sooner, I would have made sure to be more careful, Sai!"

Sai bowed his head, "I am sorry Hikaru-san, I did not think to tell. I thought you would be careful, the way you did with Net Go. I thought it not necessary."

Hikaru let out a long, noisy sigh, "Man, Sai." He rubbed his faced, and scratched his head. "If even Torajiro did such a thing, then I guess I can't keep blaming myself, huh?"

Sai closed his fan and nodded. "That is right, Hikaru."

The boy smiled, his face much brighter than it had been since that morning.

* * *

Akira stared at the boy who skipped happily into the building without noticing him.

'_How… did he recover from _that_ match yesterday so quickly?_' he wondered, following the chipper boy inside. '_I was right, he _is_ a nut, and he is going to mess with the whole of the Go world… what have we unleashed?_'

"Good morning, Touya!" Shindou said upon seeing him enter.

"…Good morning," Akira said after a moment, still taken aback from the boy's apparent happy mood. "How did you recover from your loss yesterday?" He took a water bottle from his bag and began uncapping the top.

"Oh, that? I talked it over with someone, and he made me see reason," he replied as though it was the most obvious answer.

"Who?" he asked, taking a sip of water.

"My teacher, who else?"

Slightly coughing on his water, he looked at him. "You _do_ have a teacher? Who is he?" he demanded.

"Well, duh, I do have a teacher," Shindou said, looking at Akira as though he had an extra arm. The boy studiously ignored his second question.

Not seeing any response from Akira, Shindou went inside the examination room, leaving him behind with his bottled water. Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself for today's match. After today, he would be declared the first to pass the exam, even if he lost the rest of his matches. Setting the bottle back into his bag, he went inside with resolve flowing through his veins.

* * *

"Congratulations, with today's match, you are the second to pass the exam," Shinoda said, patting Hikaru's shoulders.

"Thank you, sensei," Hikaru said, sensing how pleased Sai was with the praise through their mental link. "I will keep winning my matches though!"

Shinoda chuckled and nodded, then his face turned serious. "I saw you had your first loss against Touya-san, did something happen?"

Hikaru's bright face turned dark at the comment, "I misheard, and played what I thought was an obvious hand, but it proved my undoing, sensei."

Shinoda frowned at the reply, "I see, I think I understand."

"But it won't happen again," Hikaru quickly assured his teacher.

"I'm sure it won't, Shindou-san, well, have a good day," he said, turning to another insei who was also taking the pro exams.

"So, you passed," Touya said, carrying his bottle water.

"Yeah," Hikaru said, looking at Touya with a glint in his eyes. "It's going to be a good time, being a pro."

Touya smirked, "I _was_ worried for a moment, when you lost to me. I thought you might have lost your cool and lose all the rest of your matches."

Hikaru let out a snort, "Fat chance. It wouldn't have happened again, even if _I_ was the one under stress like that."

Touya looked at him inquisitively, "You keep saying these kinds of things, Shindou."

"What things?"

"I don't know, the way you say things, sounds like the games you play aren't really you playing, know what I mean?"

"Oh!" Hikaru exclaimed, surprising Touya by the reaction. "I get it, you've never played _me_ yet." Hikaru punched onto his other hand's palm. "I'm also an insei, you know."

Akira stared blankly at the statement. "Insei? You're an insei? Why are you an insei?"

Hikaru looked at Sai for a moment, wondering if he could play his game against Touya.

'_I don't know if I'm ready to play against Touya,_' Hikaru thought, biting his bottom lip. "I don't know, I'm not ready to play you just yet, but I want to explain at least in part…"

"What are you talking about, Shindou?" Touya asked, getting more impatient with Hikaru's strange words.

"I think you're ready to play him, Hikaru," Sai said encouragingly. "You might not be at his level yet, but it will still be a good game."

Buoyed by Sai's words, he asked Touya to follow him into the lunch area with table _goban._ "Play a game with me? Everything will be clear in a moment," Hikaru asked, gesturing to the board.

Touya furrowed his eyebrows at the _goban _and looked at Hikaru. "But, didn't we just play the other day?"

"No, this game is different," Hikaru said, sitting down. "Please?"

After a moment of hesitation, Touya sat down and bowed, "Please."

Several hands into the game, Akira looked up from the board, surprised by Shindou's hand. The style of the game _was_ distinctly different than the games they had played in the past. Deciding that Shindou was playing a trick, he kept playing.

At the 30th hand, Akira paused again, raising his hand to his chin in thought. '_What is this? I don't understand, how can one change style this… drastically?_ _And so poor, too_, is he trying to insult me?_'_

He looked at Shindou, but saw no hint of amusement or satisfaction, or any of the sort except the pure concentration exhibiting in the boy's eyes that just about all pro Go players shared. Startled, Akira leaned back in his seat a little. '_Either he is a very good actor, or he has a mental disease_.'

Having found some likely explanations, Akira refocused on the game, always playing all out against the boy—for all he knew, it could be a ruse, fooling him to subconsciously play _shidougo_, and end up losing the game.

"I resign," Hikaru said, bowing his head after the 112th hand played by Akira.

The boys sat there in silence, and Hikaru waited for the other to say something.

"I am thinking that you are either a very good actor to spite me, or you… have something else," Akira said.

"I didn't fake it, if that's what you are asking," Hikaru said, feeling offended and hurt. "I could play two games at the same time to show you what I mean."

"I can play two games at the same time too, it's not hard. In fact, I can—"

"Of course it's not hard, but that's not what I meant," Hikaru said, waving him off. "You'll notice something else when I do it. Others tend to pick up on it."

"Why don't you just tell me?" Akira asked, growing tired of beating around the bush.

"When I play two games, I only focus on one board," Hikaru stated. "That is, I only focus on _my_ game, like the one I just played against you."

Akira thought about what he was saying, '_So, he's playing two games, and he doesn't focus on both at the same time? That means the one Go he's really playing is… the game we just played? That doesn't make sense, he is basically claiming that he doesn't pay attention to the board with the Go he showed me the first three games.'_

"I don't believe you," Akira said shortly. Hikaru shrugged.

"Your loss, you'll know more about it later, Touya," he said with a shrug, infuriating Akira further. Hikaru looked at his watch. "Ah, mom wanted me to come home early for dinner, grandparents are coming over. See ya!"

"Wha-wait, Shindou!" Akira called out after him a moment later. But Hikaru had already left the room. Gritting his teeth for the second time that day, Akira saw red. He _hated_ mysteries, and his parents knew it. Akira was never a fan of mysteries in books or movies, they always grated his nerves, and now this mystery showed up in his life.

An hour later, he slammed the front door close behind him.

"Akira!" his mom chastised him. Then her face soften when she saw her son. "What's wrong? Did… did you lose today?"

"No mom, I won," was the short reply as he walked past the kitchen.

"H-hey, Akira, what's wrong?!" she said, walking after him.

"Nothing, I just have an irritating mystery that a certain man won't tell me about," Akira said, sliding his door shut, keeping his mom out of his room.

"Oh Akira, I am so sorry…" she said, understanding appeared in her tone of voice. "Maybe I can talk to your father…?"

"Please do," Akira said shortly before moving away from the door to do his schoolwork. He heard his mom walk away from his room, causing Akira to relax, and felt guilt creep into his psyche. '_…I'll need to apologize to mom for taking my anger out on her…_'

He sighed, flipping the book open to the current assigned page.

"You know I can't tell you, Akira," his father said at the dinner table.

"But, why? He's all but told me!" Akira said, his food cold and forgotten. He had spent the past ten minutes arguing, ignoring his parents' wishes in not arguing over dinner.

"No he hasn't, son, all he has told you that he plays two Go. Not the why or how behind it, and I am going to ask you to drop this, and that is final," Kouyo said, his eyes steely, and Akira felt as though he were the opponent's stones on the board, and he was not able to make two eyes fast enough. His father had placed all the right places on the board to prevent him from living.

Swallowing thickly, Akira nodded and then took his first bite of the cold food.

His hatred for Shindou grew.

* * *

"Hm, you know, I think we should check that Heart of Stone salon," Hikaru said, looking over old books on Go. I'm bored, and I'm getting sick of sitting in my room."

Sai was more than happy to accompany him to the salon.

"Now that the pro exams are over, I can relax a little... Going to the matches almost every day for the past two months got tiring. But now, I'll only need to go over there on the weekends now until late March…" Hikaru said, thinking about what he should do with his free time.

"So," Sai said slowly, counting the months, "We will have to wait for a little over four months until we become pros."

"Until _you_ become a pro, Sai," Hikaru corrected Sai. "I'm not technically a pro yet."

Sai nodded, tapping his fan against his cheek in thought. "I think you will be ready to take the exams this coming summer."

Hikaru perked up at the words, "Really, Sai?"

"At this rate, you will be more than ready by May," he replied with a smile. "The skills of the entrants in this exam I just took… I am quite positive that you can make it."

Hikaru jumped and punched in the air, "Yeah! That is so great, Sai!"

"Ah, isn't that the sign?" Sai said, noticing the Heart of Stone sign several yards away. Hikaru looked and confirmed with a nod.

"Let's go," the boy said, pushing the door inside into the building.

"Hm?" the middle-aged lady muttered, looking up when she heard the door bell. "A kid?"

"Hello ma'am," Hikaru said, bowing. "I am here to play against some players here. How much is it?"

She stared at him for a minute, not sure what to make of him. She huffed and told him it was 500 yen.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, paying the fee. He went further inside, looking around in the salon. As far as he could see, there were no kids. Feeling slightly out of his element, he drifted towards to who might be the youngest man in the room, Hikaru watched the pair play Go.

The older man of the two noticed Hikaru and sat up straighter. "We have kids here?"

Hikaru smiled and bowed his greeting, "I'm just here to look for some players, sir," he said.

"Respectful, this kid," the other man said, smiling encouragingly. "Play Go, huh?"

"That's right, sir."

"Just getting into it?" the older man asked, tilting his head.

"No sir, well, you could say I am new if you mean I've been playing Go for less than a year… but I'm an insei now," Hikaru said, wondering how he might define himself.

The pair stared dumbstruck at Hikaru.

"Playing for less than a year…"

"And now an insei?" the other finished, looking incredulous. "Has that ever happened before, Ucchi?" The other man slowly shook his head.

"I think that is a record, Kawada," he muttered, his eyes not drifting away from the boy, who grew uncomfortable in being stared at. "So, you want to play, eh? Maybe against the strongest players here?"

"I would like that sir, but anyone will do," Hikaru admitted. Ucchi chuckled.

"What's your name, boy?" Kawada asked.

"Shindou, sir, Shindou Hikaru."

"Shindou Hikaru… I'll be sure to remember that name," Kawada said, taking a sip from his tea.

"Yes we will, we'll be looking for you in the Go Weekly for when you go Pro. Maybe in a year or two?"

"Go pro in a year or two?" Hikaru asked dumbly, and suddenly shook his head. "Oh no, sir, I'm already going pro. So you'll see me much sooner in the papers."

"Hah?! What do you mean, you already passed the exams?" Ucchi exclaimed, garnering attention from others in the salon.

"What's this, then" a man appeared by Hikaru's side.

"This boy says he's an insei, and get this, he's already passed the exams!"

"Insei, eh? And now you've just passed the exams?" the third man asked, sounding impressed.

"He's been playing for less than a year, sir," Ucchi said, trying to explain.

The other men who came over took a moment to understand what he was saying.

"Less than a year in playing Go?" the third man asked, frowning. "You are having us on."

Hikaru bowed, blushing. "Ah, no, I don't mean to brag or anything, sir, I am only being honest."

"What's this about being an insei while you just passed the pro exams?" another asked.

Hikaru scratched his head, wondering if it had been a good idea to come to the salon.

"Let's play them?" Sai suggested. "Maybe they will understand."

'_Sai-! That's a great idea,_' Hikaru thought, wishing he could smack himself on the head for not thinking of the obvious solution.

"I can play a double game, and you can understand why," Hikaru offered.

The last man to ask the question let out a guffaw.

"All right kid, let's do this!" the man said, chortling.

"I'll play the second board," Ucchi said, setting up the area.

"Go light on him, Kawai-san," Kawada told him, but got another guffaw.

"Go light on a newly minted pro? I'll crush him!"

Hikaru cringed and laughed nervously.

He was now seriously having third doubts about this place.

"Please," Hikaru said, bowing to the two players.

"Yeah, yeah," Kawai said, waving his hand while Ucchi returned the formalities.


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you seeing what I am seeing?" one asked while watching Hikaru play against Kawai and Ucchi.

"Is he trying to insult the great Kawai?"

"Shindou-san is not even looking at the board against him, and he's doing really well!"

"Too well, I think."

"I still don't understand what's going on."

Kawai suddenly bowed his head, "I resign."

"Thank you for the game, sir," Hikaru said, bowing back before focusing on his own game again. '_This guy is giving me some trouble, I don't know if I can win…_' he thought, studying his stones against his opponent's. '_What would Sai do in this area here?_'

In his mind's eye, he saw Sai point to the area with his fan, and Hikaru studied the placement and widened his eyes. Of course, it was Sai's favorite hand to that common problem. He immediately played the hand.

Several hands later, Hikaru heard a loud 'ohh!' and he saw a distressed look on Ucchi's face.

"That hand from before, I didn't think…"

"It's old style _joseki_," another commented.

"I resign," Ucchi said a moment later. "Shindou-san, you are very good."

"But you can get better," Kawada said, pointing to a spot Hikaru had fudged on. "See, if you had played here…"

"Hey, hey, wait a minute, I want to review my game too!" Kawai demanded.

"We'll get to it, sir," Hikaru assured him. "I tend to review this board first before I tackled the pro Go's."

"Pro Go's?" Kawai asked aloud.

"It's the Go I used in the pro exams this year, but this Go, my Go, is the Go I use for insei," Hikaru explained before resuming the end-of-the-game discussion.

Kawai stared at the kid, scratching his head. "Is he saying he really has two different Go he plays with?"

"The genius old-styled one, and the new one? That's like saying the kid has a multiple personality disorder."

"That's how one would look at it," Kawai muttered, concerned for the kid. "Is that healthy, keeping it separate that way?"

"Maybe his doctor told him to do that," one suggested.

"I don't have a multiple personality disorder," Hikaru said, trying to squash the small talk before it became a rumor. "I just have a special situation, is all. Thank you Kawada-san, Ucchi-san, for the discussion. Okay, Kawai-san, ready?"

In this discussion, Sai became more involved, pointing out where Kawai could improve.

At the end of the night, Hikaru excused himself, saying he needed to get home.

"You know, you are always welcomed back here, free even, the way you did today here," the man Hikaru had identified as the owner of the salon.

"Really? Thanks!" Hikaru said with a giant grin, excited at the chance to save some money. "I will definitely come back! I enjoyed this place tonight, mister."

The owner grinned, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself as much as we did ourselves. Please go home safely."

"I will, good night!" Hikaru said and departed for home.

* * *

"How is Shindou-san doing these days?" Kouyo asked Akira one night after dinner.

"How should I know? I haven't seen him since the pro exams," Akira replied, and a sour feeling started up in his stomach. "Please excuse me," he said, getting up to go to his room.

"Akira…" Kouyo said, stopping the boy. When he didn't have anything to say to his son, Akira left the room.

Kouyo sighed, placing his arms into each sleeve as he crossed his arms. '_He grows more difficult each day. Perhaps this mystery is unhealthy for him? Should I tell him?_'

He thought of Shindou, and mentally shook his head. '_No, it is best that I leave it up to Shindou-san. Two people knowing his story is more than enough, especially as Shindou never told me his story, but Seiji-kun._'

He felt bad, having been told the story by Seiji, and not by the boy, and wished he had given the boy the opportunity to tell his own story, but he _had_ demanded to know, the way Seiji had been talking. With a pang of regret, Kouyo realized he also hated mysteries. It grated his nerves, trying to find out who the killer might be. Or in this case, what Shindou was.

Perhaps that was why he enjoyed Go so much, being able to find out for himself to the question—who has the better he find the Divine Move? Who will win that particular area of influence?

He looked at the hallway where his son had disappeared off to. '_Perhaps, his hatred for mystery is to a higher level than mine? Does this mean he will one day surpass me?_'

He considered his thoughts, and conceded to the possibility that—yes, his son will one day surpass his father. Was that not how it usually did in movies, the student surpassing his master? Son surpassing the father?

Kouyo smiled, he looked forward to that day, and maybe through him, his son will be that much closer to the Divine Move.

* * *

"Hikaru," Sai whined. "Let's go to the Heart of Stone, please?" he asked, drawing out the last word in a wail.

"No Sai, they can live without me if I skipped a day or two," Hikaru said, walking with his friend from his elementary school days. "I need a—"

"Who are you talking to?" Tetsuo asked. Hikaru barely stopped himself from slapping his own forehead in frustration.

"Nobody," Hikaru quickly said. "I don't know why, but I've started talking to myself these days. I've got too much going on."

Tetsuo looked at Hikaru with a concerned gaze.

"That's the first sign of insanity, you know, talking to yourself."

Hikaru grinned in answer, "Don't worry, it's just something I've picked up from somewhere. I'm not going crazy."

Tetsuo sighed, shaking his head, "Whatever you say, crazy guy."

Hikaru laughed. They walked in silence while Hikaru ignored Sai's whining.

"Still playing Go?" Tetsuo asked.

"Of course, in fact, I'm going pro in March," Hikaru replied.

"Pro…?" Tetsuo asked, looking at Hikaru, confused.

"I'll make money playing and teaching Go. I recently passed the exam to become a pro."

"Dude, aren't those sort of things, to go pro in something, hard to do?"

"It was hard, only three out of twenty or thirty can pass each year," Hikaru said with a nod.

"You must be a genius," Tetsuo said after a moment. "Can you teach me?"

Hikaru grinned, "Sure, before I become a pro. Otherwise I'll have to charge you!"

Tetsuo punched Hikaru in the shoulder, "You wouldn't."

Hikaru laughed as they walked onto the street to his house. "But, yeah, I can teach some things about Go."

By then, Sai had calmed down, realizing that the boys were going to do something related to Go, and cheered up considerably, following them to Hikaru's house without another word. Hikaru felt relieved that Sai had decided to stop whining, leaving him to concentrate on Tetsuo.

"I'm home!" Hikaru announced as they entered the house and took their shoes off.

"Hikaru, welcome back," his mom said, peeking out of the kitchen and saw a visitor. "Oh, welcome, Toujimori-san! How have you been?"

"I've been good, Shindou-san," he replied, taking his jacket off. "School's a bit crazy, though."

She laughed lightly, "Isn't it always? I'll have some drinks and snacks ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you, miss."

The boys ambled over to the _goban_ in the living room and sat down on the floor pillows.

"So, this it?" he asked, pointing to the board. Hikaru nodded and began explaining the basics of Go to his friend. In the meantime, his mom came by with the promised soda drinks and chips.

"Are you teaching him Go?" his mom asked after placing the tray on the coffee table nearby, and Hikaru nodded. She watched them play for a short while and then excused herself, smiling as she went.

'_My, even drawing his old friends into playing Go, my son is something else… especially since he passed the exam three weeks ago!_' she thought as she puttered around the kitchen. '_Now that I've read up on pro Go players, it seems they do rather well making money after a few years, but how will he manage school? I guess Hikaru might not need to attend high school…_'

She frowned at the idea, it was very unorthodox these days, not sending her son to high school. Mitsuko feared the type of things her friends would have to say to that. Shaking her head, '_No, I am just going to have to trust my son on this, and I will keep cheering him on, and defend him if I have to._'

* * *

January rolled in, and Hikaru received a phone call from the Go Association.

"Huh, Sho Dan Series? What's that?" Hikaru asked, wondering if he had missed something in the Go Weekly.

"Oh, it's a match between the new pro player and an experienced pro player, it is a welcoming sort of ritual we do each year," Dante explained.

"Oh, I see," Hikaru mumbled, looking at Sai. "When is the match?"

"Two weeks from today, January 20th. Will you be able to make it?"

"Uh…" Hikaru quickly looked at the calendar that was by the phone. "Yeah, I can come, what time?"

Jotting down the details of the match, he thanked Dante-san and hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Sai asked, following Hikaru to the living room.

'_You've got a match against Kuwabara-sensei,_' Hikaru replied, grinning when he saw Sai's face brighten at the news. '_It will be two weeks from today._'

"A game! Against Kuwabara Honinbo! Wasn't he the man that spoke to you briefly?"

"The same one you made a comment about how he might have been a better player in his younger days?" Hikaru asked dryly, and Sai had the audacity to blush, hiding behind his fan.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have made such a comment?"

"It _was_ rather presumptuous of you to say such a thing, Sai," he muttered, sitting down before the _goban_.

"Oh, are you studying, Hikaru?" his mom asked, walking into the room, "May I join you?"

"Sure mom, want to play a game?" he asked, gesturing to the space on the other side of the board.

"I would love to."

* * *

"Ready, Sai?" Hikaru asked, pushing the door into the Go Association building.

"Am I ever," Sai said, his face tight with anticipation. Hikaru met Dante at the welcoming desk and followed to where people were meeting for the Sho Dan series. Hikaru found Ogata-sensei there with Kuwabara, and Dante left him there.

"Good morning, Shindou-kun," Ogata greeted him, and Hikaru returned his greetings to the older men.

"So, we meet again, boy!" Kuwabara said, slapping Hikaru on the back. Hikaru tried to keep a grimace out of his smile while regaining his balance.

"How have you been, sir?" Hikaru asked, fully recovered.

"Very healthy! You whippersnappers won't be wiping the floor with me today!" he said, letting out a loud guffaw. Hikaru smiled.

"I wouldn't speak so soon, sir," Hikaru said, and his grin grew bigger at Kuwabara's face.

"Hmph, we'll see about that!"

A minute later, other people entered the room.

"Ah, so everyone is here!" a man with thick mustache and glasses said. "And you must be the much talked about boy, Shindou Hikaru?"

"Ah, yes sir…" Hikaru said, bowing in greeting, wondering what people were saying about him.

"Great, let's do a photo shoot before we begin the first match of the Sho Dan series."

Outside the building, Hikaru stood by Kuwabara, trying not to let the old man intimidate him.

"Please talk naturally," the photographer requested.

"So, you say you'll beat me in today's match, eh Shindou?" Kuwabara challenged the new pro.

"I just said that you don't want to be saying anything that you will eat later," Hikaru defended himself. '_What do you want to say to him, Sai?_'

"Hm," Sai muttered thoughtfully. "I look forward to the battle on the _goban _today, and I hope we will find the Divine Move."

Hikaru relayed the words, causing Kuwabara laugh even harder than he had earlier.

"Divine Move, eh? You _are_ quite something else, Shindou. Yes, perhaps today is the day we find the Divine Move?"

"I want to play an even game, so please take me seriously," Hikaru again relayed Sai's words.

"A serious match, eh? Do you want to do away with reverse komi?"

"Reverse Komi?" Hikaru and Sai asked the same time.

"It's a handicap we give to new pro players for the Sho Dan Series," the reporter explained while Kuwabara chuckled. "But we can't do way with the handicap, it will not be fair to you."

Hikaru frowned, "No, I think it will be unfair to Kuwabara-sensei."

Kuwabara let out another guffaw.

"Not fair to me? Come on, Amano-san, let's give what the boy wishes."

"But…" Amano protested as the group went back inside, but Ogata shook his head in Amano's direction.

"You will see why, sir," Ogata said, walking up the stairs while Kuwabara and Shindou took the elevator. "The boy did beat me once, and it was not easy for me."

"He did! So, the rumors are true?" Amano asked in a whispered tone. "Is it… is it true that he beat Touya Meijin? _That kifu_ is real?"

"It is real, the game was played by Shindou-san and Touya Mejin," Ogata said with a nod.

"No wonder the reverse komi would be a disservice to both players…" Amano muttered, jotting the notes down. "Mind if I can quote you on that?"

Ogata smirked and nodded.

Inside the Room of Profound Darkness, Sai stopped at the door.

"It was this room!" Sai exclaimed, looking around. "The room that filled my body with electricity. I did not think I could come back here so soon."

'_That day when Ogata-sensei learned about us?_' Hikaru asked sourly, remembering. He was still not pleased that his secrets had been spilled to the man. '_I still haven't forgiven you for not coming when I asked you to._'

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Sai said, covering his mouth with his closed fan. Hikaru let out a sigh and waved Sai away casually.

"Whatever, we're here now," he mumbled, taking his place before the _goban_.

Kuwabara looked at Hikaru curiously before taking his own place.

"Getting nervous, boy?"

"Hardly," he answered, relaxing in his seat. The older man chortled in response.

"We'll fix that attitude of yours shortly," Kuwabara threatened with a grin.

"You can try, sir," Hikaru continued the banter with a grin.

"Hah! A boy who is keeping up with me, you have quite the spunk, kid."

They were interrupted by the man on Hikaru's right. "Each have three hours, and as agreed before the match, white will have 5.5 komi. Is that all right with you, Shindou-san?" he asked. Hikaru nodded in response.

"Very well," the proctor said and then announced, "Please begin your game."

Hikaru and Kuwabara performed the _nigiri, _and Hikaru got white.

Kuwabara smirked, and slammed his first stone down, startling Hikaru. Blinking, the new pro wondered how he might respond as he waited for Sai.

Sai took a moment and then order his first hand, on the lower left star. With a smirk, Hikaru slammed his own stone down with equal ferocity. Kuwabara laughed again.

"Not cowed, are you?"

"You can't shake me, sir," Hikaru replied while Kuwabara played the third hand.

'_This boy is too spunky, let's see if I can take him down a peg or two,_' Kuwabara thought, giving his full concentration to the game before him, treating it like one of the title games with a shorter time given.

At the fiftieth hand, Kuwabara stared gobsmacked at the board before him.

'_This kid… is a monster,_' he thought, a sense of horror filled his mind. He looked at Shindou who stared at the board with what appeared to be an expression of awe. As though the boy was impressed by the game he was playing.

Swallowing, Kuwabara played his next hand, hoping to trick the boy into losing the game in his trap. In response to his hand, the boy dodged it completely, and rendered his trap useless.

His right hand quivering in fear, he clenched his fist to still it, the great Honinbo will _not_ allow a boy to push him around. He glanced at the clock and saw that he had used more time than Shindou.

'_Where did this level of skill come from, boy?_' Kuwabara wondered as he played his next hand.

Shindou waited two minutes before he played the next hand, pushing Kuwabara further into his proverbial corner.

It was Kuwabara's undoing, and the old man bowed his head in defeat. Never had he lost so badly in years. Since the final title game against Touya Meijin in the 90s.

"Thank you for the game, sir," Hikaru said, bowing deeply. Kuwabara harrumphed in answer.

"I've never… seen such a thing before," Amano stammered, looking at the board as though it was a ghost. "An even game, and the level of skill is clear—Shindou-san is the winner."

"I don't understand," the woman next to Amano said. "Where did this level of skill come from?"

"That part will remain a mystery," Ogata said, announcing his presence in the room.

"You're saying there's more to this boy than this, Ogata?" Kuwabara asked, gesturing to the board before him.

Ogata ignored the question and turned to Shindou. "That was a beautiful game. Shall we discuss it?"

* * *

Hikaru read the forum posts on the internet later that week, and he grimaced at what was being posted about Sai.

_You think this Shindou kid who did the Sho Dan Series earlier this week is Sai?_

_That can't be right, he's barely thirteen!_

_How do you explain the style he used then?_

_Why did he lose against Touya Akira in the pro exams? I don't understand, is Akira better than Sai?_

Hikaru debated on participating in the discussions, but decided against it. He did not want to deal with these people, or having to prove himself who he said he was. Exhaling a long sigh, he looked at Sai—the reason for all these discussions. Hikaru began to wonder just what sort of force _he_ had unleashed upon the Go world, and thought if it was maybe too late to stop Sai from playing any more games.

Shutting the computer down, he ignored Sai's complaint about not playing on Net Go tonight as Hikaru attempted to focus on his math homework.

Sai gave up on getting a game out of Hikaru when he saw the boy ignoring him completely. With a harrumph, Sai sat down before the board in the boy's room, staring intently at each intersecting lines.

'_This life with Hikaru…_' he thought, studying the _goke_ closest to him. '_Is vastly different than the one I had with Torajiro… but how? I know he is playing for me and for himself, but what else is there?_'

Ghosting his hand over the bowls of stone, wishing he could touch the lid, and he could almost feel it, if he imagined it hard enough. '_These past few days, he seems more reluctant to play._'

Remembering the days after they got the new Go Weekly, Hikaru had rejected playing Go more than usual. '_Does he hate being discussed by others about his unique ability to play twice with different styles?_'

He looked over to Hikaru who was sitting at the _kotatsu_ table in the room, hard at work with his homework. '_Why did I appear before this boy? Did God want something from this?_ _Hikaru…_'

As though summoned by Sai, the boy looked up and caught Sai's gaze.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, Hikaru," Sai replied with a shake of his head. "I was just thinking…"

"About what?" Hikaru asked, tapping his pencil against his cheek.

"It's nothing, just another one of my pondering of the existence of ghosts, and all that," Sai said, trying to wave the boy off with his fan.

"The meaning of life, huh?" Hikaru summarized, looking at the ceiling. "The way I see it, I think God is just trying to build each people up to do something they are called to do in life. For example, if you had not appeared, I would not be playing Go. Now, look at me."

Sai stared at Hikaru in surprise, "That is true, your growth in Go is extraordinary. Even in my time, you would stand out easily, and gain the attention of the Emperor."

Hikaru bowed his head and mumbled unintelligently.

"What?' Sai asked, perplexed by the boy's reaction.

"I am really starting to regret telling Ogata-sensei about you. About me. I _don't_ want all this attention!"

"But… wouldn't you get attention anyway, if you wanted to grab a few titles?" Sai tried to reason with the boy.

"Well, sure, a few mentions here and there in the Go Weekly," Hikaru replied, "But the intensity of the discussion on the internet is on a whole different level. There's even people writing _fan fiction _about me! It is so creepy. Especially how some of the stories hit too close to the truth."

The boy shuddered.

"Fan fiction?" Sai asked, wondering what on earth was going on on the internet.

"Nothing for you to worry about," he said with another wave of his hand. "Seriously, don't ask."

Still looking dubious, Sai accepted Hikaru's wishes in not pressing further on this issue.

* * *

I'll admit, I wasn't sure if I was actually going to finish writing this story within a week, but the NaNoWriMo muse bit me, and demanded that I use this story to fulfill this year's challenge as I have attempted every year since 2004 (and winning most of the years since). So, I kept writing, and writing. 'Sigh'

Hopefully I'll hit 50k before next week's deadline. I did just start this story last Friday or Saturday, and already I've reached past 25k, so maybe it's a possibility. I do edit each chapter before I post, so it's not a huge horrible mess of things, and that slows me down. Plus, I edit in order to keep kickstarting up my muse, and trying to figure out what will happen next without turning this story a boring one. I already have an idea that a reviewer gave me, and I intend to use it. I would love to have some other ideas from you, coffee won't always help me think of new slice of life or plot lines to throw in.

As a result, please don't be surprise by the twists this story will experience, I do have a huge plot twist up my sleeve. 'Grins' Wish me luck!


	9. Chapter 9

'_He didn't come to my match, why didn't he come to my match?_' Akira thought as he reviewed his game against Zama Ouza. '_Am I even on his radar?_'

Slamming his stone down on the board, he stopped himself in time from messing up the surrounding stones with his careless and irritated fingers. '_I thought that he might be my rival, but he did not even come to the match yesterday, and I came to his! And did the boy even acknowledge me when I was there? No he hadn't._'

"Akira, it's dinner time," his mom announced at the slightly ajar door to his room.

"Okay mom," he said, getting to his feet with a sigh.

"Are you doing all right?" she asked, noticing her son's poor attitude.

"Dandy," was his reply, walking past her in the hallway.

"You know, I am getting concerned about you, Akira," she said, following after her son. "You've been having an attitude for awhile now. It is not about Shindou-san, is it?"

His hands twitched at the mention of the boy's name, but did not say anything else.

"It is, isn't it?" she said with a dawning look on her face. "Really, Akira, why don't you ask him to explain himself, get that mystery of yours resolved…"

"Problem is, he won't stick around long enough for me to talk to him. Even if I do, he talks in riddles, and does not say things plainly. I should be able to get the story from my father, but he refuses, so does Ogata-sensei," Akira said, frowning at the thought that two men were in on the secret and not him. With an irritated shake of his head, he took his place at the table.

She stared at him for several moments, wondering what to say to her son, and gave up, serving dinner to the family.

* * *

The phone rang in the living room, and Mitsuko went to answer it.

"Hello Mitsuko-chan!" the woman on the other end of the phone line greeted.

"Nozu-chan," Mitsuko said, her face brightened. "How are you today?"

After they exchanged pleasantries about themselves, Nozu asked her best friend a question.

"Do you know any mothers whose children are insei or a Go pro?"

"Hm, actually, no I don't," Mitsuko answered with a frown. "I should though."

"Just the thing, then! I actually have a friend whose son just became a pro like yours did. I would love to hook you two up, would you be available for meeting during lunch at Sweet Tomatoes?"

"Today?" Mitsuko asked, looking at the calendar. She had no pressing engagement. "Sure, I would love to meet your friend."

"Great, how's 12:30 sound?"

"Perfect, see you soon!"

Excited, she hung up the phone and took her cleaning apron off to go get ready for the lunch date. Thinking of her son, she remembered that today was a school day for Hikaru, so would be home later that afternoon.

Once ready, she left the house after locking the door. Humming to herself a happy tune, she made her way to the Sweet Tomatoes which was a thirty minute walk and a bus ride from her home.

"Mitsuko-chan!" Nozu greeted with a wave when she saw her friend getting off the bus.

"Nozu-chan," Mitsuko said, giving a quick hug her upon greeting then turned to the woman that was with them.

"Akiko-san, this is Shindou Mitsuko, Mitsuko, Touya Akiko," Nozu made the introductions and both ladies bowed.

"Nice to meet you," Mitsuko said, smiling, and Touya returned the greeting.

"Shall we go in?" Nozu said and the three women went inside for lunch.

With their meals from the buffet-style salads, they seated themselves.

"You two know each other for awhile?" Touya asked, observing their relationship.

"Oh yes!" Nozu said, grinning, "since elementary school days. We still fondly call each other, right Mitsuko-_chan_?"

Mitsuko giggled and nodded. "Right, we have. So, tell me about your son, Akiko-san! If you don't mind me calling you that…"

"Of course you may," Akiko said with a brighter face. "If I can do the same, Mitsuko-san?" At Mitsuko's nod, she then answered the original question. "Well, my son is rather unique for his age…" she began with a slight frown. "I don't know where else to start."

"Don't worry about me," Mistuko said, encouraging her with a smile. "My son is rather different too."

Akiko blushed faintly, "Well, I suppose… He did become a pro at a such a young age. When I heard that yours did too, at the same age too! I was quite surprised to hear that he's still an insei."

Mitsuko chuckled and she saw Nozu's blank face, she quickly explained all the terms in the Go world, not wanting to leave her friend out of the conversation.

"Is it really that unusual?" Nozu asked, "Being a pro and an insei at the same time?"

"Believe me, dearie, it is," Akiko said with a nod. "It is practically unheard of, and that is why my son is having such a poor attitude lately…" She sighed, feeling weighed down by the situation.

"Poor attitude? Why?" Mitsuko demanded, wondering why a boy might have a difficult time in reaction to Hikaru's case.

"He really hates mysteries, you see. He needs to know who the murderer is within the first ten minutes of a movie, or the first chapter of a book. Your son's… case is on a whole different level of mystery to my son."

"I'll tell my son to explain himself then, if your son is having such a hard time with it," Mitsuko promised.

"Oh no, please don't force your son," Akiko said with a panic wave. "From what I understand, his story is rather unbelievable, and to know more details about the story might turn my mind to mush. I really do think his telling should be up to him, and no one should force that."

Mitsuko's shoulder drooped a little at that, "I could at least let Hikaru know what your son is going through, and then he can decide for himself. Have all the facts."

"Well, if you could do that… I would appreciate it," Akiko said slowly.

"Really, you two… The way I see it, there should be no secrets," Nozu said with a huff. "Why have a secret in this life when it will all be revealed in the afterlife? Might as well get it out of the way."

The other two stared at Nozu for a moment.

"That's where our opinions will always differ on, Nozu-chan," Mitsuko said and then laughed. "But I do think it is healthy to have a secret or two. I think the way my son said it, it would blow a fuse."

"That's what I meant, turning my mind into mush if I knew all the details," Akiko said with a sage nod. "I'm just glad I don't play Go as a professional."

"You play, then?" Mitsuko asked, perking up at the new information. "Women like yourself plays Go?"

"Of course," Akiko said, chuckling, then blushed. "It is how I met my husband after all."

"Aw, there's a love story, isn't there?" Mitsuko asked, feeling as though she was oozing. Akiko laughed, and then told her friend and new friend about her love story.

* * *

She sat at her desk, waiting for the next teacher to come in to begin their social studies lesson. Akiko looked to her left and saw Touya Kouyo reading a book. Her interest piqued, she peered closer at the cover of the book.

"Are you studying Go?" she asked, reading the title. It was a book about Shuusaku Honinbo.

"Yes," was the short reply.

"I play some Go," she said, looking away as she remembered her previous night's match against a friend.

"Really?" he asked, looking up from the book for the first time. "How well do you play?"

"I play better than you do," she said with a smirk. "I heard you are an insei." He stared at her, not answering her question. "But I would like to play you some time."

"Better than me?" he asked, setting the book down after dog-earing the page.

"Of course," she said with an air of casualness. "What, you think you can beat me?"

He smiled, "All right, I'll play you just to show that I'm a better player."

* * *

"Since that day, we've played many matches," she said, rubbing her cheek in an attempt to cool it down. "Of course, he's matured since then, but in our rooms… The things we do while playing Go."

The three broke out into laughter.

"How sweet!" Nozu said, grinning mischievously. "Am I right in thinking that it's Strip Go, like Strip Poker?"

Akiko laughed, and nodded in answer. "We make up the rules on the spot occasionally to spice things up."

"I'm glad to hear that your marriage is doing so well, Akiko-san," Nozu said dreamily. Mitsuko nodded, giggling.

"I feel like such a school girl," Mitsuko admitted. The three laughed again, and they kept talking about their husbands, about their children, the Go world.

Once Mitsuko got home, feeling like she was walking on cloud nine, she sang a song from her old days in junior high.

"Mom?" Hikaru asked with a befuddlement on his face.

"Oh Hikaru!" she sang, turning to her son. "How was your day?"

"Not as good as yours, it seems," he answered with a half-grin. "Just school stuff, you know."

"Of course, but you better treasure the memories you are making now!" she adviced him, then her face turned serious. "I met Touya Akiko today…"

"Touya?" he interrupted, perking up.

'Yes, I met your friend's mother. We met through a mutual friend who wanted to hook us up since both of our sons are young Go pros," she explained, turning back to making tea. "It seems her son is having a hard time with that mystery of yours."

"What do you mean?" he asked, leaning against the wall as he watched her putter around the kitchen, getting tea cups and tea leaves.

"He's been hard on his mother as of late, and it seems Akira-san is taking his frustration of not knowing what your story is out on Akiko-san. I think you should consider telling him your story," she said and turned to her son again while she waited for the teapot to boil. "I am not saying you _should_, Hikaru, just think about telling him. You might even become better friends."

Hikaru frowned, thinking about Touya Akira. "We're not even friends, just colleagues now."

"But don't you want to make him your friend?" she pressed.

"I'll think about it, mom," he said with a shrug, then grinned. "I just don't want the government or the American FBI coming after me."

"Hikaru! It better not be that serious!" she admonished, smacking him on the back of his head with her potholder.

"It's not, it's not, geez mom," he said, rubbing his head.

"Tea?"

"Sure, want a game?"

"Let's do just that," she said with a smile. "I want to get better so I can play Akiko-san."

"She plays?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "No wonder, two Go players, and you have a Go prodigy on your hands…" he muttered.

* * *

"So, should I tell him, Sai?" Hikaru asked once they were in his room until dinner.

"Tell Touya Akira-san?" Sai asked, tilting his head in thought. "You did tell Ogata-sensei, and then Touya Mejin found out from him."

"That's what is surprising, Sai. I thought his dad would tell Touya Akira," Hikaru said, scratching his head to get rid of an itch.

"Perhaps they want to leave that up to you," Sai suggested.

"Maybe, Touya Meijin does seem like a nice guy."

He laid back on his bead, staring at the ceiling, and let out a sigh. "I don't know… what would Akira think when he found out about you? Tell the whole world? I don't want that. Two people knowing about you are two too many."

"Then don't tell him about me," Sai said. "And you can be confident of the fact that you don't need to tell anyone else, and that's that. Don't dwell on it anymore, Hikaru."

Hikaru looked at Sai with an unsure look. "Easier said than done, Sai."

"I'll help you, as I am always there with you anyway."

"Not always," Hikaru pointed out and Sai sighed.

"I said I was _sorry_, Hikaru!"

Hikaru laughed and sat up on his bed. "Let's play a game."

* * *

"I'll get it out of you, Shindou, one of these days…!" he muttered to himself as he read the article on the Sho Dan Series. He clenched his hands into fists, crumpling up the pages.

* * *

January turned into February, and then into March without Hikaru hearing anything from Touya Akira, though he had not gone out of his way to find the boy. Apparently, it seems it went the same for the boy in question. Until the Go Association called Hikaru about the Awards Ceremony, and how he would become an official pro there.

'_So, we'll finally meet, Touya,_' Hikaru thought as he let his mom straighten his tie.

"Have you seen Akira-san these past few months?"

"No, we don't go to school, and we are not needed at the Go Association."

"I could have given you his home phone number," she said with a frown. "Will you be all right?"

"Yes mom," he said, tugging at his necktie.

"How do I look?" she asked, spinning in her light blue dress with white cardigan.

"You look nice, mom," Hikaru said, looking forward to having his mom at the Awards Ceremony. It was too bad that his dad was in Hokkaido for work this week. "Ah, I think you have a bit of smudged makeup under your eye."

"Oh! Thank you, Hikaru," she said, walking back into the bathroom to fix the mistake.

At the Awards Ceremony, Hikaru looked around, feeling nervous and unsure of what to say to Touya. His mom was also searching in the sea of people in the large room. "Ah, I see Akiko-san!"

Hikaru's head snapped to the direction his mom pointed and found Akira next to a woman he assumed was Touya Akiko. Akira's gaze met Hikaru's and Hikaru felt a chill creep up his spine. Akira's eyes were intense.

'_Sai…_' he thought to his friend. '_He's scary._'

"Yes, I am getting the chills, Hikaru," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps he knows you two will fight on the board soon?"

"But I don't even have the schedule! How would he know?" Hikaru exclaimed, getting a questioning look from his mom. Hikaru blushed and looked down. She dismissed him as being his normal usual self, and then greeted Akiko and her son.

"…and this must be your son, Akira-san?" she asked, looking at him. His face had long since wore a mask of politeness, but Hikaru could still see hints of loathing under it.

'_I think he hates me_,' Hikaru thought in dismay when he realized what feelings Akira was displaying. '_Is this what mom was talking about?_'

"You did say you don't want anyone else to know," Sai said, covering half his face with the fan. "Still want to change your mind?"

Hikaru's resolve hardened, '_No, I won't tell him. Two people are two too many_.'

It had become his mantra—Two people are two too many for the past few months, since the day his mom had met Akiko.

Peering into Touya's eyes, he felt his resolve waver.

'_Damnit,_' Hikaru thought, averting his eyes to look around.

"Where's the other new pro?" Hikaru asked, trying to start a conversation. "Who was it again?"

Akira remained silent as a statue, and his behavior went unnoticed by the two women. Hikaru sighed, giving up on talking to the boy.

'_Maybe being friends with him is a lost cause from the beginning_,' Hikaru thought, furrowing his eyes with a frown. The host of the event called for everyone to take their seats, and Hikaru was more than happy to follow his mom who followed Akiko-san with her son. To his dismay, he had to sit next to Akira.

* * *

Letting out a big sigh enough to suspect that his entire soul was leaving his body, Hikaru fell on his bed, still in his suit from the ceremony.

"Touya is too much!" Hikaru exclaimed, shutting his eyes. "Why won't he let you go? Why can't he just accept that I have two Go like others are?"

Hikaru continued to ramble about Akira, and why the boy should not let the myster get to him.

"Hikaru," Sai said, interrupted his tirade. "Let's play a game, get your mind off things."

"Great idea, thanks Sai," he said, sighing again. "Let me get out of this suffocating suit first, though."

The pair played late into the night, as it was a Friday night, and Hikaru's body was high on Mountain Dew. His hyperactivity also hurt his concentration, but he did not care, wanting to forget about the day's events and the way Akira had cornered him after the ceremony was over, and had delivered their paperwork to the official in a separate room.

* * *

"Shindou," Akira said, stopping the boy. "Let's talk."

Hikaru sighed and nodded, following the uptight boy into the bathroom. After making sure no one else was in, Akira locked the door. Feeling nervous, Hikaru stepped away from the other sho dan pro.

"Will you tell me what you told Ogata-sensei?" Akira asked, turning to him slowly.

"I can't tell you, Touya," Hikaru said, hardening his resolve.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because too many people know about it, and I can't risk it it getting out."

"How many know about you?" he demanded.

"Just Ogata-sensei and your father, which I think is too many."

"But… you won't tell me?"

"Touya…" Hikaru started and trailed off, not sure what to say.

"You can trust me," Akira said, taking a step forward, causing Hikaru to take two steps back with a shake of his head. "I won't tell anyone else, I promise."

"I can't, Touya, I can't. I _can't_."

Akira frowned, pausing his movement forward. "Really, I won't tell anyone else."

"Didn't anyone at the Go Association tell you not to press me for answers?" Hikaru asked, remembering what Shinoda had said. Akira's face turned fierce.

"I am not letting something like that stop me from finding out why you have two Go, and why you are _so incredibly strong!_"

Hikaru's hands turned into fist at his sides, ready to defend himself if he had to. The way Akira looked and acted, he looked ready to brawl Hikaru into a bloody pulp, despite his slight frame.

"Can't you be content with a mystery or two—"

"I _HATE_ MYSTERIES, SHINDOU!" he screamed, "WITH AN EVERLASTING LOATHING!_ AND YOU WILL TELL ME._"

Hikaru gulped, backing up again, and found the wall against his back. In his fury, Akira had approached closer.

They heard a knock at the door and heard shouts, stopping Akira cold.

"Why is this door locked?! Hey, I know someone's in there, open up! Or I'll have someone come unlock this door!" someone yelled. "BUT IT BETTER BE OPENED RIGHT NOW!"

Pushing Akira out of the way, Hikaru unlocked and shoved the man aside who rushed into the bathroom like bees were chasing him. '_Maybe he had a bad taco,' _Hikaru thought as he escaped Akira. Finding his mom, he tried not to pant heavily, glad to put distance between himself and the furious boy.

"Can we go now, mom? Please?" Hikaru asked, wincing when he realized how panicky he sounded. She looked at her son with a startled look, her conversation with Akiko interrupted.

"Did something happen, Hikaru?"

"No, I suddenly forgot that I made a promise to someone, and I'm going to be late!" Hikaru said, trying not to look behind him for Akira.

"Oh, all right. I am sorry, Akiko-san, but it seems…"

"It is all right, we'll catch up some more over the phone later today," she said, and smiled. "Have a good evening!"

Mitsuko bowed, "Thank you, and please excuse me, have a good evening."

* * *

Hikaru opened his eyes, he wanted to forget that confrontation with Akira, and never face him again, but he knew that there was no avoiding Touya. He placed his next hand on _goban_ against Sai.

"You are still distracted," Sai said, tapping his fan against his cheek with a frown. "That was pretty rude of Touya-san, to act in such a way."

"I don't think it will be the last," Hikaru said, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Should I bring something to defend myself…?"

"Hikaru!" Sai admonished him. "You can't hurt him!"

"What if he hurts me first?" Hikaru shot back, silencing Sai. "I said _something to defend myself _with."

Sai looked at Hikaru with a worried expression. Hikaru then let out a sigh.

"But no matter, it will be bad in anyone's eyes if they caught me with a knife or something. It's not exactly legal to carry it with you in school or in government buildings. I wonder if the Go Association has such a rule too? That's where I'll likely have to face him again…"

"I don't think he would ever hurt you," Sai said. Hikaru tilted his head in thought.

"You know, considering how polite he is, and, aside from me covering you up, he's a pretty nice guy… I don't think he would hurt a fly."

Sai nodded emphatically to this point, "Right! He's only thirteen after all, like you. He is also a small boy too."

"All right, but it'll be on your head if he does deck me with a hook punch or something."

Sai laughed nervously, waving his hands in a fidgety movement. "I promise you, he won't hurt you!"

Hikaru smirked, and then gestured to the board. "It's still your turn, Sai."

"Ah, yes," he said, looking at the board for a moment, then placed his fan to his next hand for his white stone's placement.

* * *

"Hey Shindou!" Waya said, waving to him in greeting. "Ready to face the first class, today?"

Hikaru nodded, trying to net let his stomach twist with nervousness. He was going to be at the bottom of a class again.

"Say, if you rise to 16th place or better before the Young Lion's Tournament, you might be able to participate," Waya said, walking along side him. "It's amazing really, watching you grow from practically nothing to what you are today. It's really is scary. Like you're a demon or something."

Hikaru was glad that Waya was easy-going about his skills, unlike Touya, and felt himself relax. No one was going to confront him about his two skills. All the insei had by now accepted this fact about Hikaru as normal.

"Then again, your other Go is phenomenal, so maybe it makes sense that you would get this good this fast," Isumi said, and smiled in greeting. "Welcome."

"Thanks Isumi-san," Hikaru said, feeling himself relax even further.

"Your schedule is going to get crazy, right? Managing both Insei and pro schedules," Waya asked, and Hikaru nodded.

"I'm glad Shinoda-sensei is making sure that my schedules don't conflict. Though I may have to miss a few weekends as an insei if I am called away to an event elsewhere in Japan."

'Or even compete internationally," Isumi said.

"Internationally? Really?" Hikaru asked, surprised. "They don't do them often, do they? I haven't heard anything about it."

"No, not often," Isumi replied. "It's usually a company that puts it on, and the last international event for pros was two years ago. We're due for another soon, I'm sure."

"Hm, that will be cool, to go overseas!" Hikaru said, smiling at the idea. "I would love to visit Korea, or maybe even United States!"

Waya snorted, "Why would you go to the States? Their Go is horrible."

"But I want to see the country!" Hikaru protested. "Maybe an event where we encourage more Americans to play professionally?"

Waya gave Hikaru a wry smile, "_Maybe_, Shindou."

* * *

"So, my first match is against a 3-dan," Hikaru said, studying his schedule.

"I'm sure you will do fine," his mom said, serving his breakfast.

"I'm not nervous, I pity the guy I'm playing today," he said with wide eyes. She chuckled lightly, not sure what to make of her son. "Really, today's Go will slaughter him."

"Sai's Go?" she asked, looking at him again. Hikaru looked at her with a curious look.

"Well, I guess it's easier to use names to explain which Go I'll be using," Hikaru said with a nod. "But yeah, Sai's Go will slaughter him."

"Aren't you confident?"

Hikaru grinned cheekily at his mom and then dug into his breakfast.

Taking his shoes off, Hikaru looked around to see who else was here. He saw a woman in her twenties also taking hers off.

"Hello, ma'am," he greeted her. She looked up and gave a shy smile. "Are you in the oteai match today?"

"I am, I should be making 3-dan today if I win," she said with a grin. "Aren't you one of the new pros?"

"Yeah, today's my first match."

"Good luck, then!" she said with a grin. "I remember my first day too. I was a wreck!" She looked at him more closely. "Though, you hardly seem nervous. Are you?"

"Naw, I'm not," he replied with a shrug. "It's not my Go I'm playing with today."

She stared at him with a blank look, then snapped as though she remembered something. "Oh, the kid with two Go. Huh, that's you, eh?"

"Yeah…" Hikaru said slowly, wondering how the pros would receive him. Like Touya, or like the insei?

She smiled, "That's a very interesting gift you have, Shindou-san. I hope to play you soon."

With that, she grabbed her Gatorade and left the foyer. Hikaru realized that she was taking a drink inside.

"Huh? Pros can bring drinks and snacks inside?"

"It's one of the perks of being a pro," Shinoda said, smiling at Hikaru in greeting. "Welcome to your first day as a pro."

"Thank you Shinoda-sensei," Hikaru said, grinning back. Without another word, both went inside the playing room.

* * *

The 3-dan player stared with horrified look in his eyes at the board before him, breathing heavily. Hikaru felt bad for the guy.

"You're a demon," he muttered to Hikaru, then bowed. "I resign. There's nothing more I can do."

"Th-thank you?" he replied, his tone of voice making his response come out in a question. Hikaru was not sure if he was insulted or not, and watched the older man leave the room quickly. The boy with bleached bangs realized with a start that their game was the first one to finish. Putting the stones away, he got to his feet to go to the table to mark his win and opponent's loss.

"Finished already?" Shinoda asked with mild amusement. "Your matches during the exam lasted about this long, didn't they? I thought you would last two hours."

Hikaru chuckled, scratching his head with embarssment. "I can't slow down, sensei. Sai's Go is like that."

Shinoda chuckled. "I suppose I will see you this weekend."

With a wave, Hikaru went home.

'_You really did slaughter him, Sai! Couldn't you be a little kinder?_' he accused his ghost. Sai laughed lightly, covering half his face with his sleeves.

"I can't help it, Hikaru! Especially as I need to be more serious as they are pros, not insei or those not pros yet. With each pro I defeat, the faster I rise to the top, and then I can really fight strong opponents!"

Hikaru looked at Sai's childish determination in his eyes, and waved the ghost off. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I just feel bad, is all. At least we avoided Touya today. He was still playing his game when we left."

Sai nodded in solemn agreement.

"Avoiding Akira-kun, are you?" a familiar voice asked, causing Hikaru look up in surprise and found Ogata smoking on a nearby bench. "Finished with your game already, Sai?"

Sai chuckled, "Yes, but it was not much of a challenge, I'm afraid."

Hikaru relayed his words, causing Ogata to chuckle quietly.

"Hurry up and rise, Sai, I want to play you in official matches."

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Sai exclaimed, waving his arms in exasperation.

"He's really trying, and he's frustrated about it too," Hikaru said, trying to explain the emotions Sai was experiencing. "Sai, calm down, we have years."

"True, he has lived a thousand years, what's a few more years, Sai?" Ogata asked, and this calmed Sai down.

"You do have a point, Ogata-san," Hikaru relayed again. "I'll try to be more patient."

"You know, Shindou-kun, you should have some sort of a marker when you're talking for Sai, it gets rather confusing."

Hikaru frowned, "I know, I worried about that. But at least it's only you and Touya Meijin that I have to worry about relaying what Sai is saying."

With a jolt, Hikaru suddenly looked around, feeling suddenly exposed. "Man, I shouldn't have talked about all this, we're out in the open. Anyone could hear us!"

"Relax, kid, they won't understand what we're talking about anyway. And what they _do_ hear, let them make up a story for themselves."

Hikaru frowned at how casual Ogata-sensei was about Sai, and not really seeing a serious need for secrecy.

"Please sir, don't talk about this in a public place like this again, or I won't talk to you unless I am positive we're the only ones, and can't be overheard," Hikaru said.

Ogata took another drag from his cigarette, and held it for a moment and exhaled. "All right, I'll do whatever you want to do. No more talking to Sai in public."

"Thank you," Hikaru said, bowing his head. "I'll need to get to school since my match finished early, and my mo wants me to attend whatever classes I can…"

"Fine, have a good day, Shindou-kun."

"Bye sir," Hikaru said and then left the park quickly.

Ogata remained where he was, smoking his joint.

"What was that about? Who is Sai?" a boy with slight messy hair approached Seiji.

Seiji looked over to the boy with a lazy look. "It seems the boy wasn't wrong about his worries, being overheard. It's rude to eavesdrop, you know. You are Waya, are you not?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Ogata-sensei, but I was here because I'm waiting for a friend…" Waya said, flushing with embarrassment. "Um, ah, yes, I am Waya, sir…"

Ogata smirked, "What do you make of the boy?"

"Shindou? Well, he's interesting, I'll give you that," Waya said with a frown. "But he can sometimes give me a headache. I mean, two styles of Go? Only a person with split personalities could have that!"

"But he doesn't," Seiji said, causing Waya to nod.

"Exactly, he doesn't seem to have a second person, or anything like that. From my research on Dissociative Identity Disorder, he exhibits none of the symptoms. Only in his Go."

Seiji chuckled, exhaling smoke again. "Aren't you the inquisitive one."

"So, who is Sai?" Waya asked, looking anxious. "Did you call Shindou Sai?"

"Hm…, but he's still very much the Shindou we know," Seiji replied, not answering his questions. Waya let out a huff.

"I'm leaving, I think I have another headache coming on…" Waya complained, leaving Seiji alone again.

"Well, isn't he a rude boy," Seiji commented to himself. "Have no respect for the higher dans, does he?"

With a snort, he put out his cigarette with the heel of his shoes and got to his feet. Seiji then made his way over to the Go Association. "Kids these days. At least Shindou-kun and Akira-kun are rather respectful," he muttered to himself.

Remembering Akira, he frowned. He had noticed the sour attitude the boy was exhibiting these days towards Seiji, especially when it concerned Shindou.

With a shake of his head, he went inside the Go Association. He hoped Akira's attitude would cool down soon.

* * *

"All right, I'm in 14th place!" Hikaru said, punching the air with his right fist.

The other insei glowered at the boy, still fearful of his growth in his Go. Waya studied the boy from the distance, recalling the brief meeting he had with Ogata-sensei. He sorely wanted to lock the boy into a room, shine a light into Shindou's face and demand some answers as to who Sai was, and whether or not he had an unique case of the Dissociative Identity Disorder to explain his two Go.

But Waya held himself in check, not wanting to ruin his friendship with Shindou. Perhaps if he remained a good friend to him, Shindou might tell him all about it. He hoped so.

"Congratulations, Shindou," Waya said, grinning at him and slapped him on the back, causing Hikaru to wince.

"Waya!" he exclaimed, "That hurts."

"That's the point, Shindou, it's a congratulatory pat on the back!"

Hikaru scowled at Waya and moved away from the boisterous guy and found Isumi.

"Hey Shindou-san, I heard, congrats!" Isumi said, smiling. "We play each other today."

"Oh, are we?" Hikaru asked in surprise. "Great, I've been wanting to play you. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"With your Go?' Isumi asked, trying to remember the last time. "It's been since winter, hasn't it? At one of the salons."

"Right!" Hikaru exclaimed with a nod. "Let's see how we do today, Isumi-san."

With a smile, Isumi followed Hikaru into the room.

* * *

"Haaa, you are so difficult!" Hikaru exclaimed, sitting down heavily on the bench in the cafeteria, Isumi sitting down next to him. "I still have a ways to go!"

"You've really improved, Shindou-san," Isumi sadi, studying Hikaru. "How do you improve so quickly like this?"

"My Sai's Go improves my Go," was his answer. "We play every night."

"We? You talk like your Sai's Go is another person."

"It's easier for people to understand if it's like a second person," Hikaru said with a shrug. "Which, in truth, it is."

Isumi furrowed his eyebrows, trying to understand what Shindou was saying.

"Maybe that is a good explanation to give to explain your two Go," Isumi said, facing his lunch. "I wish I could know more about it, but it's not my place or Shinoda-sensei will have my head."

Hikaru half-grinned at Isumi as he dug into his cup of ramen he had heated up. '_I like this guy, he seems very trustworthy._'

Sai covered his mouth with his closed fan, looking at Isumi with a thoughtful gaze. '_I do have good feelings about this boy._'

'_Are you thinking what I am thinking, Sai?_' Hikaru asked, slurping his noodles. Sai smiled.

'_Maybe later this summer?_' Hikaru mused, looking up at the ceiling.

"When is the tournament?" Hikaru asked, looking at Isumi.

"Two weekends from now," was the reply as Isumi ate his rice ball. "I wonder which pro we'll be playing?"

"Yeah… me too…" Hikaru said, realizing that both of his Go would have to play in the tournament. "I guess I'll be playing two people at the same time."

"That's going to be an interesting sight," Isumi said, smirking. "I've seen you play like that in salons, but in an official match?"

Hikaru grinned with embarrassment. "You're right, first time in an official match…"

* * *

"We have already decided on who will play who," the proctor announced, pointing to the board. "Please have a look and then take your seats before the _goban_."

Hikaru made his way over to the board and scanned for his name and widened his eyes in surprise.

_Shindou Hikaru vs Shindou Hikaru 1-dan_

* * *

The reason this chapter was so long is because I'm trying to squeeze in 5-6,000 words a day to reach 50k. This chapter has not been edited, so I apologize for any mistakes, and I hope to come back to this and fix it in December. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! :) I rather enjoyed this chapter, despite the writer's block I had for the last few days, until I thought about Mitsuko, and what would happen if she met Akiko. Then this was the results. 'grins' Can't wait to write a particular part of the story. We're almost there!


	10. Chapter 10

"What's this? Shindou is playing himself?"

"How is he going to do that?"

"He's just going to cheat. This is not fair, no matter which one, he's going to play with the stronger Go," one complained, giving Hikaru a dirty look.

"I'm not going to cheat!" Hikaru said, standing up straighter. "You can tell by my Go and Sai's Go. Sai always beat my butt."

The one who complained gave a snort, and glared.

"Whatever. I don't understand the people in charge doing this to us. He shouldn't have to play twice. Even if it's…" he sneered, "playing with himself. It's practically a default win!"

"Otani-san," Shinoda said, his gaze hard. "Come with me."

Still wearing a sneer, he followed the teacher.

"Well, that's a surprise," Sai commented, covering his smile with his fan, speaking of the match ups. "I suppose we'll just do as we always did at home."

"Yeah, best way to do it," Hikaru said with a sigh. "Man, I was hoping to play a different pro than Sai. This really is unfair."

He heard another snort, but Hikaru ignored it as he took his seat, and Sai took the opposite seat. Hikaru tightened his fists, preparing himself for the first official match against Sai. Sai also prepared himself for the first official match against his student, hardening his gaze.

'_Sai! You don't need to be this serious!_' Hikaru thought, panicking as he felt the full force of Sai's intensity upon him. He shivered, and realized that all the players Sai had played were lucky—they did not have to see Sai like this. He alone had to bear the brunt of Sai's intense stare.

Gulping nervously, he kept his eyes on the board, waiting for the proctor to begin the matches.

'_Really, lighten up, you're scaring me. I can't think like this!_' Hikaru complained, looking up at his friend who's gze had lightened up.

"Oh no…" Sai said, worried. "I am so sorry to scare you like this, Hikaru!"

Hikaru gave another shiver, still remembering the chills he got from Sai. '_Seriously, I'm trying to recover from that._'

"I'm sorry," he said with a teary eye, covering half his face with his sleeves. Hikaru sighed, looking at Sai's childishness was enough to relax him. How could anyone stay mad or tense when Sai was like this?

"Just don't do that when this happens again, Sai," Hikaru muttered.

"Please begin," the proctor suddenly announced, and Hikaru took a moment to decide the first hand, and placed it.

Halfway through the match, he ignored the attention he was attracting, and had to tell people to move out of Sai's way.

"Pretend there's an opponent sitting there, it's distracting," Hikaru had explained while Sai took his turn.

"Oh, I'm sorry," a woman said, hastily moving out of the way. After that, no one dared to move to where the opponent would be sitting.

'_Who is this kid? I don't understand, I can clearly see two hands in this game._' One thought.

'_He must have a mental disorder, has he talked to a doctor about this?_'

'_Who on earth set this match up? Is he trying to single this poor guy out?_'

Ogata watched the match from the side, his arms crossed. '_Impressive, so this is how he plays each night with Sai…_' He looked at the empty spot on white's side. '_Wonder how he let Shindou know what hand to play next? Won't Shindou place the wrong hand to cheat?_'

He watched Shindou place the white stone.

'_No, Shindou would never do that, there's too much honor in this, and this boy obviously understands that. Maybe it is even unthinkable._' Sensing a presence, he looked to his side and saw Akira. '_Wonder what he's making of this?_'

'_Shindou…_' Akira thought, watching the match, and studying the placement of the stones up to this point.

Hikaru played the next hand in response to the previous hand.

'_How are you able to alternate the two Go so quickly like this? Shouldn't it be difficult for you?_' Akira thought, watching Hikaru's facial expression. It looked normal, nothing out of ordinary from what he had seen on the boy before. Nothing like maybe Shindou might be having a hard time.

Akira looked up and met Ogata's gaze. '_Won't you tell me?_'

As though he was reading Akira's mind, Ogata smirked and shook his head, then resumed watching the game.

As more people finished their games, the bigger the crowd around Hikaru and Sai got.

'_Is there no way to come back from this?_' Hikaru thought, examining the board. '_It's been awhile since I played Sai without a handicap… I want to lose by less than ten moku…_'

Counting the points in his mind, he was short five moku of his goal, and they were entering _yose_.

Clenching his fish with frustration, he kept examining the board. '_Where would Sai play from my end?_'

He looked up, watching Sai examine the board also. It was Sai's turn after all.

Suddenly, Sai pointed to his next hand with his fan, and Hikaru automatically placed the white stone.

'_Huh? Why did Shindou look up like that? As though he were looking at someone from across the board?_' Akira thought, watching Shindou's face as the boy seemed to automatically played the white's hand. '_That's… very curious. Is there someone at the other side of the board?_'

Looking at the empty space, he tried to see if someone might be sitting there, but no matter how hard he tried, he saw no one. He remembered of the times Shindou had talked to himself, or looked to his side, or like he had a thousand-mile stare in his eyes… Akira narrowed his eyes, watching the boy more carefully. '_Maybe he _is_ schizophrenic? That would explain everything. Why he doesn't want the whole world to know, and then suddenly treat him differently. I would not want that, if I was him…_ _Maybe his mother knows something about that? I could ask my mom to ask her that…_'

'_Maybe that's why Ogata-sensei won't tell me, since it's really not his business to tell me… but why did he tell my father? He had no business knowing either!_'

Frowning again, he thought about Ogata-sensei and his father. '_No, perhaps Ogata-sensei, in his excitement about his newfound knowledge about Shindou, and had wanted to tell somebody the juicy details, and chose my father to have that knowledge. What if he had told Kuwabara Honinbo? Or Ashiwara?_'

His scowl deepened, he wished Ogata had done that, and he might have had an easier time of finding out Shindou's secrets. Especially if it was Ashiwara-san.

Several more hands were played, and then Hikaru bowed his head, "I resign. The professional wins."

As though his words had been a signal, everyone started talking at once as Hikaru got to his feet, ignoring the questions and comments.

"Hey, quiet down, there are games still in play!" Shinoda told the crowd, causing them to quiet down, embarrassed. In their excitement, they had forgotten there were still other games being played, though Hikaru's had been one of the last few.

Hikaru marked the win and loss and winced. He realized he was probably the only one who could give himself a loss. He frowned, staring at the black dot next to his name.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru," Sai said, teary eyed as he watched his student. "It was a good game. You lost by a eleven and half moku."

"I know Sai," he muttered, moving away from the table. "It was so close."

"You realize you are talking out loud?" Ogata asked, crossing his arms as he watched Hikaru walk out of the room.

"Hm? Oh, whatever," Hikaru said with a shrug. "The more people see these things, the more it becomes normal."

Ogata smirked, quietly chuckling. "That is true, it seems there is a fair share number of Go pros who are eccentric."

"But his is to a whole different level, sensei," Akira said, glancing at Hikaru with a glare.

"And you think you're not as eccentric?" Ogata asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not as ec—Ogata-sensei!" Akira started to say and then turned on him, causing the man to laugh loudly.

"So you do admit that you are somewhat eccentric, Akira-kun," Ogata said, smirking. "Excuse me, I want a smoke."

Ogat left the two boys alone in the cafeteria. Hikaru shifted his feet uncomfortably, not wanting to be anywhere near Akira. He had been lucky, the past six weeks, he had not needed to face the other sho dan. Now, it seems his luck had run out.

"That was an interesting game, Shindou," Akira said, looking at him with a slightly softer face. Hikaru could still see a hard edge to Akira's eyes.

"It was a good game, I was one moku off my goal," Hikaru said, deciding to go along with the conversation for conversation's sake. There was no way he would get asked like the last time in this roomful of people, would he? Unless he was eccentric of course, Hikaru thought with a mental smirk. Ogata was a funny man. He looked to the crowd, who looked as though they wanted to approach Hikaru. He turned away from them, not wanting to talk to them about the unique game played today. The others got the hint, and the noise level picked up around Hikaru. He heard Akira speaking, and with a grudging acceptance that he had to listen to Akira for the time being, if only to keep the crowds away.

"Hm?"

"You said you were one moku off?" Akira repeated, eyes curious.

"I have a goal against Sai, the professional Go in me," Hikaru explained, "And this was the first even game I played against him in awhile. I was hoping to lose by less than ten moku, but that didn't happen today."

"Ah…"

"Well, I'm hungry, so please excuse me," Hikaru said, making his way over to the place where he had ordered his lunch in. Hot on Hikaru's heels, Akira followed. Hikaru gave an annoyed look at the boy as he grabbed his box, and found himself a seat. Akira sat across from him at the table without a meal. At least no one else joined them in order to interrogate Hikaru.

"Not eating?" Hikaru asked, digging into his lunch.

"I brought snacks," Akira replied a moment later. Without preamble, he spoke, "I'm sorry about before."

"You freaked me out, Touya," Hikaru said, looking up with an intent look. Akira blushed, averting his gze.

"It was incredibly rude of me."

"That was _rude?_ That was practically coercion. I thought you were going to beat me up."

Akira swallowed, remembering his feelings in the heat of that moment. Shindou was not too far off from that gut feeling. If he had ordered lunch now, he would not be able to take a bite.

"I'll just pay back by killing you in Go," Hikaru said with a dismissive tone of voice. "That should be tomorrow, right?"

"Assuming we win our next few matches today and tomorrow," Akira said with a scowl.

"Assume…? Oh, I guess you would have to try hard to win, huh?"

Akira stared at the boy with an incredulous look. '_Does he realize what he's saying? That he has no chance of losing? How dare he think I might have a chance of losing!_'

Overcome with anger, he got up from his seat and left without a word. Akira did not want to let his anger influence his next match in the tournament. He would _not_ allow Shindou _'_kill him in Go' as he had so eloquently put.

* * *

"So you managed to win," Shindou said, grinning. It was now the finals.

"Of course, there was no question about it," Akira said. "Did you have any difficulty?"

"Hm? Difficulty?' he asked, waiting a moment to think. "Naw, hardly. They all resigned mid-game."

"Please begin," the proctor announced, and the boys performed the _nigiri_. Hikaru got black.

'_Shall we crush him to a bloody pulp?_' Hikaru asked, warming up the black stone in his hand as he waited for Sai.

"Yes, for all the things he has said to us, for doing that to you in the bathroom…" he said, narrowing his eyes as he unleashed the full fury of a Go player upon Akira. Hikaru noticed a slight shiver overcome Akira, and Hikaru smirked.

"Scared?"

Akira's face hardened at the taunt.

"Play."

"Gladly," said both Hikaru and Sai, and Sai pointed to the first star on the board and the other placed the stone.

At the twentieth hand, Hikaru placed a _hane_ stone to Akira's white stone that was threatening to invade his bottom left corner. He looked up, watching the boy's reaction. All he saw was a slight tightening of his fist as Akira pondered the new move.

"Will he back off or…" Sai muttered to himself, watching, waiting. Akira played his next move, causing Sai to smile. "That was your undoing, boy."

He placed his fan on the next hand, rendering Akira's cluster of stones almost useless. If the boy played it right, he could live, but it was a slight chance.

Another thirty hands passed, and Akira suddenly bowed his head in defeat, shivering. "There's nothing more I can do, I… I resign."

"What a game that was!" one exclaimed, and that comment broke the dam, and everyone started chattering about the game.

"Let's discuss, let's discuss," one said, moving closer to look at the board. "That hane move, I realized instantly that it was a solid move on Shindou's part. Did you realize it, Touya-san?"

Glowering, Akira got to his feet, "I rather not discuss the game right now."

Hikaru shrugged, "I can discuss it with you guys."

Leaving the room, Akira went to get his water bottle, feeling the shame of the loss overcome him. He had never lost so badly before. Was it because Shindou really meant that he would pulverize him as a payback?

Crushing his bottle, but not able to break it into new shape because of the cap still on the bottle, Akira took a deep breath to calm himself down.

'_I'll make him tell me, no matter what. Win, lose, doesn't matter. I want to know why he has two Go._'

His mom had not been home for a few days, as she was out of town visiting her parents. He hoped she would return tonight so he could make that request about Shindou.

Taking a sip from his now opened bottle, he heard a familiar voice.

"Taking the loss badly?" Ogata asked.

"Shut up," Akira said, turning away from him. "I have no wish to see anyone right now."

Ogata let out a snort, "You _are_ taking this badly. Did you think you could beat him?"

"Is he even beatable?" Akira asked, looking at Ogata with a hard look.

"He did beat Touya Meijin, your father. If you haven't already forgotten."

'_Yes, that match is proof enough,_' Akira nodded, conceding a point to Ogata. "Still, I want to beat that brat. I hate him," he said simply.

Ogata raised an eyebrow, "Really? How much?"

"As much as I love mysteries," Akira replied with a wry smile. Ogata let out another snort, shaking his head.

"Are you still hung up on about that, Akira-kun?"

Silence was his answer.

"Akira-kun, this is not healthy, let it go."

"I can't let it go, he rubbed me the wrong way from the moment I set my eyes on him, Ogata-sensei," Akira said, putting the cap back on the bottle and put it in his bag. "I will find out, one way or another, sensei."

With that, Ogata watched the new pro leave the building.

'_That kid is so uptight, geez… I should warn Shindou-kun about Akira…'_ he thought, taking out a new smoke from the pack. '_Nah, I'm sure Shindou can handle himself.'_

He lit the smoke and took a deep drag, filling his lungs with delicious nicotine, and let it out towards the vent that was made specifically for smokers in this part of the building.

'_It might turn out interesting,_' he thought, justifying himself. '_Give the Go Weekly an interesting article or two out of it. Lord knows how boring the magazine can get after awhile._'

* * *

"I'm home!" a woman called out, closing the door behind her.

"Mom, welcome back," Akira said, looking up from his book, causing Akiko to look at her son in surprise. Akira never sat in the living room to read a book.

"What's wrong, dear?" she asked, setting her bags down as she took her shoes off.

"Ah, nothing, I was just hoping I could talk to you about something… how were the grandparents?"

"They are doing real well, grandpa is healing from his heart surgery better than expected. So I was able to come home today than tomorrow. How was the tournament?"

"It was fine, Shindou won," Akira replied, keeping his grimace off his face. Akiko's face brightened.

"Oh he did? Wow, I suppose Mitsuko was right, her son is rather good. You two had a match-up?"

"In the finals, yes," Akira replied. "I resigned half-way in."

"Aw, I am sorry," she said, feeling sorry for her son.

"It's alright, but speaking of Shindou…" Akira said, glad for the opening.

"Yes?" she asked, walking over to a chair next to Akira.

"I was hoping you could ask Touya-san, his mom, about something. I'm rather worried about him…"

"What is it? Maybe I could try and ask."

"See, I think Shindou has a mental disorder, something like schizophrenic or a multiple personality disorder… or something like that. If she doesn't know about it, she should have a doctor look into it."

"Oh my, that is pretty serious," she said, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "That is pretty serious, I am sure she will appreciate your opinion and have her son checked up."

Akira smiled, stopping himself just enough to not give her a sadistic smile. He would find out sooner or later.

At that moment, his dad came home, announcing himself at the door.

"Honey, welcome home!" she said, getting up from her seat.

"Akiko, you're home," he said, his face brightening. "How were your parents?"

"Dad is healing better than expected," she said with a smile. Then she snapped her fingers as though she realized something. "Oh, Kouyo, there's something I want to talk with you about…"

They drifted further inside the house, leaving Akira where he was, comfortably sitting on the couch with his Go book on Shuusaku Honinbo.

There were too many similarities between Sai's and Shuusaku's, and Hikaru's Go was also influenced in part by Shuusaku's as well. He hoped he could figure this part of the mystery out, and why Sai's Go was so much like Shuusaku's.

* * *

"Akira was talking to me about Shindou Hikaru…" Akiko said, putting her bags away.

"What did he say?" he asked, helping her put clothes away.

"He suspects a mental illness. Wants me to talk to Mitsuko-san about taking her son to a doctor for a check-up."

Kouyo let out a soft snort, "He doesn't have a mental illness. He has shown me proof of it."

"Are you sure?" she asked, worried. "Absolutely certain?"

"Yes, I am quite certain. I understand the serious nature of mental illnesses, and I would not dismiss it if it were true. You know of my family history, Aki."

"Of course…" she murmured, nodding. "So, is it one of Akira's way of trying to find out the secret that you are so tight-lipped about?"

Kouyo's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he thought about his son. "It is perhaps one of his ways. For now, humor him, but don't talk to Shindou's mother about him having a mental disease. He, one-hundred percent, does not have one."

Putting the last sock into the draw, she leaned back on her heels, letting out a soft hm. "He's been so difficult these days, Kouyo."

"I know, I will do something about it," Kouyo promised, putting the empty bag into the back of the closet.

* * *

"Did you ask?" Akira asked after his dad left the house. She looked at him with a blank look, and then nodded.

"Oh yes, I did, she's going to schedule an appointment. She's very thankful to you."

Akira nodded in acceptance of thanks, finishing his breakfast and then left the table. She watched after him, feeling bad about lying to her son. She let out a sigh, hoping this whole thing would end soon without an experiencing any explosions from her son.

* * *

'_She lied to me_,' Akira thought with anger. '_The way she looked at me like that… just like the time when she lied to me about dad being in Hokkaido when he really was in China…_'

He had wanted to go to China so badly, and they knew it.

'_Why would she lie to me? Unless she never intended to ask her about taking Shindou to the doctor? Did she talk to dad about this? Does this mean he knows he has a mental illness, or does not have one? Why would he hide this from me if he is sick?_'

Growling softly, he got to his feet and paced the room as he thought some more.

'_There's no other way, I have to force it out of Shindou. But how? He's always with someone when he's over here for the study sessions. He's always gone after any matches at the oteai, and no matter how fast I try to finish my matches, he's always gone… even on insei days!_'

Rubbing his eyes, he felt a headache coming on.

'_When can I corner him alone?_' he wondered. He slowly raised his head up, remembering how his mom had lied. '_If she can lie, then so can I…_'

A small smile rose up slowly on his lips. '_Yes… I could do that, now how to relay that message without anyone else knowing? Especially Shindou himself…_'

He looked at his bulletin board. It was full of his school and Go notes. '_I need to keep track of what I know about Shindou. Maybe I can figure it out in the mean time?_'

Ripping the papers off the board, he got to work, gathering all the notes about Shindou that he knew of, and remembered. Soon, the board was half full of notes on Shindou.

Stepping back from the board, he studied it for a moment.

"Arugh," Akira muttered to himself, giving up for the night. "None of it makes sense… I'll get it out of Shindou eventually."

* * *

"So, it's the preliminaries next week," Waya said, his arms crossed over his head, looking up at the sky. "At least I don't need to be in it this year."

"Huh, why?" Hikaru asked.

"Because I'm in the top three insei."

"Me too, so why am I not exempt?" Hikaru asked, frowning.

"For at least three months, Shindou," Waya explained, dropping his arms to his side, and looked at Hikaru. "You, on the other hand, have been the top insei for only a month."

Hikaru pouted, "Well, that's not fair."

"Life isn't fair," Waya shot back. "Wonder if we'll be able to pass?"

Isumi, Waya, and Hikaru looked at each other.

"Yeah, let us all three of us try and pass," Isumi said. "Though, the only person in the way of that is probably Ochi-san."

"Hm, yeah…" Hikaru muttered, remembering his last match with Ochi. The short boy with glasses had been the victor.

"You're not going to cheat and ue your pro Go against all of us, are you?" Waya asked, looking at Hikaru with suspicion. Hikaru snorted while Sai said 'As if!'

"As if, even if I begged, Sai's Go won't be able to play for me."

"So, there's a mental barrier that stops you from playing your Go, or something?" Waya asked, intrigued.

"Uh, something like that," Hikaru said with a shrug. "So, don't worry about me cheating."

"Not even a hand here and there?" Isumi asked.

"Not even a hint or advice," Hikaru assured them.

"Well, I say we get some food, sushi?" Waya asked, Hikaru glared at him. Last time, they had ramen, so Hikaru could not complain.

"Yeah, fine," Hikaru said with a harrumph. "I'm starving!"

* * *

He heard a motorcycle roar past Hikaru as he entered the Go Association. Looking back, he saw a man parking close by.

'_Geez, what kind of guy is he with that bike? Is he going to take the pro exam?'_ Hikaru thought, and shook his head. '_No, I need to focus on my own matches!_'

"Good, just keep your focus," Sai said with an encouraging smile. "You will do fine. I know you can pass."

"Easy for you to say," Hikaru muttered to Sai. "You passed the last exam without any problems… I just ruined your one game against Touya."

"Hikaru, focus!" Sai admonished, smacking Hikaru on the head with the fan, despite the fact that it just went through him.

Hikaru saw the man who was on the motorcycle enter the building.

'_Geh, he looks like an ape!i' _Hikaru thought, shying away from the man.

"Oi, kid! Help me out here," the man with thick beard said, grabbing Hikaru's arm and tugged him inside the building. "Do you know where the prelims are? You're in it, aren't you?"

"Ah—yes, uncle," Hikaru stammered, trying to wretch his arm out of the man's hand but found it futile.

"And don't call me uncle, call me Tsubaki. And you are?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"Shindou," was his soft reply, cringing from him. "Can you please let me go? You're hurting me."

"Ah," Tsubaki said, straightening up as he let Hikaru go. "Sorry about that. I'm just anxious to get started on the exams."

'_Aren't we all?_' Hikaru thought glumly. "It's this way, sir."

"Great, thanks Shindou. Hopefully we won't see each other in the prelims, but in the exam!"

Hikaru felt a sweat form at his temple, watching Tsubaki go into the room.

'_I hope I don't have to face him this week either…_' Hikaru thought, feeling his confidence fade from his mind.

"Hikaru, focus! Don't let this man mess up your confidence! You can do this, I know it."

Sai's words hardly helped Hikaru as he went into the room, waiting for the officials to start the preliminaries. Swallowing thickly, he kept his eyes straight ahead of himself, ignoring the whispers behind his back about him.

"It's that kid, he's taking the exam again? Isn't he already a pro?"

"What's going on? I don't understand why we have to face that monster again…"

"Aw man, I think I won't be able to pass again this year!"

"Hey kid, I've been hearing some strange things about you," Tsubaki suddenly appeared at his side, startling Hikaru. The man sat down next to him. "You already passed last year? What's your deal? I thought you looked familiar, you're the new pro aren't you?"

"Yes, it's complicated to explain, but you, like everyone else, will find out for yourselves," Hikaru said with a sigh. "Can you please move away? I'm trying to focus."

Tsubaki stared at him, and let out a guffaw. "So tense! You need to relax, kid. Though, I don't know why you would be so tense, seeing as you passed the first time around."

"That wasn't my Go last year's."

"Hmph, frankly, I don't care whatever the details are," Tsubaki said, waving his hand. "Point is, you already passed, so you should be able to do it again this year."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes with dubious looks at the man. '_He won't understand._'

"Hikaru…" Sai murmured. '_He's not going to perform well today._'

Hikaru found himself sitting before the board, swallowing thickly as he stared at Tsubaki. The boy had drawn the unlucky draw on this day.

"Please begin," the proctor announced. After the _nigiri_, Hikaru placed down his black stone. Suddenly, Tsubaki stood up and left the room with a hard look to his eyes.

'_What the!_' Hikaru thought, watching the man leave the room. '_Hey, the game-!'_

"Hikaru… you should calm down. Remember last year, there were people leaving the room to relax? You can do the same."

'_How would I relax myself?!_' he thought, staring at the board with a panicky look.

"Come with me," Sai demanded, standing up. Reluctantly, Hikaru followed Sai, wondering what his ghost wanted him to do now. He found himself outside near the park.

"Now, stretch with me!" Sai ordered, stretching his arms. "Don't let anyone get to you! You've got this, Hikaru."

At first, Hikaru did the stretches half-heartedly, then he got into it with furor. He soon forgot about Tsubaki and his quirky ways. Feeling warmed up, he looked at Sai.

"Do thirty jumping jacks!"

"Twenty sit-ups!"

"10 squats!"

Thoroughly exhausted, he laid on the ground, spread-eagled, and staring at the sky.

"Yeah, I can do this," Hikaru said, coming to himself. "_Yosh_, let's go!"

Back inside, he saw that Tsubaki was still not in the room, he took his seat, taking a deep calming breath. Not a moment later, he saw Tsubaki enter the room and retook his seat. Hikaru grinned, and Tsubaki studied him for a minute and then placed the second hand.

"Lunch break, please pause your games," the proctor said some time later in their games. Hikaru had just placed his stone.

"Hey, wanna have lunch with me? Let's go out!" Tsubaki said.

"Ah, but, I ordered…"

"Come, come," he said, dragging Hikaru out of the building. The insei stared after him with worried expressions. Hikaru gave up and followed the man without another word.

"You're handling yourself really well," Tsubaki commented as he took a seat at the bar at a soba eatery place.

Hikaru smiled nervously.

"But why didn't you wait to play a hand when lunch was announced?" At Hikaru's blank look, Tsubaki elaborated. "I could think about wherever I want to play. Is it going to be A? B? Or even F?"

A sense of horror dawned on Hikaru, realzing that he could have used this lunch break to read deeply into the game.

"Hikaru!" Sai yelled, distracting the boy from his ruminations. "Remember last year? I never cared who has a turn going into lunch. It does not make a difference. In fact, I rather the other opponent have the turn, so I can relax my mind a bit."

Hikaru sipped his drink, listening to Sai. Then he nodded.

"Right, I guess I don't need to worry about having a turn going into lunch."

"Huh, what was that?" Tsubaki asked, looking at Hikaru in surprise. Hikaru grinned cheekily.

"Sorry sir, I think you are just trying to throw me off my game."

"What are you talking about? I'm just making a conversation!"

Hikaru looked at him with uncertainty.

"Really!"

"Hm," Hikaru looked away, waiting for his order of noodles. "Whatever. You don't scare me anymore."

"I scared you?" Tsubaki asked, looking surprised. Hikaru cringed a little, sweat forming at his forehead. "Huh! What is it about me that scares you?"

"Everything, sir," Hikaru said, accepting the plate from the chef. "The way you talk, the way you act, the way you look. It makes you look like a very brash person."

Tsubaki chortled at that and then slurped up some noodles. "Well, I suppose I look like a monster to you. Wonder if I have that same effect on you kids?"

Clicking his chopsticks together, "Ah! I could do that, scare you all into cowering pool mess of things!"

Hikaru laughed weakly, wondering what he had done.

"Don't let this man affect you, Hikaru," Sai kept saying into his ear. He allowed those words to be a part of his mantra.

* * *

"Hmmmmhm," Tsubaki gave a long murmuring sound, scratching his beard in concentration. With a sigh, he bowed his head. "I resign. Kid, you are strong! But, thanks for giving me the idea about that tactic! I'll be there in the exams! Good luck."

With that, Tsubaki left the room, scratching his head as he went.

"You did it, Hikaru! You did it!" Sai said, spinning around the boy in excitement. Hikaru grinned, walking over to the table to mark the win and loss. After a moment, he then stamped the winning stamp into the palm of his hand. He closed his hand into a fist, imagining himself grabbing a win.

"You won, huh?" someone asked, looking over his shoulder. Hikaru looked up and saw Nase. "Me too."

"Great!" Hikaru said, giving her the stamp. "Let's keep this up, huh?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile as she stamped a loss and a win.

* * *

On the fourth day of the prelims, Hikaru stared at the building with uncertainty He had lost his first game yesterday to a boy in his insei class.

"You can do this," Sai cheered. "Don't let yesterday's match affect today's, Hikaru. It's all in your mind. We'll do more stretches if we have to!"

"Right," Hikaru said, hardening his face into determination. "I'll pass today with my own effort."

Sai smiled, watching Hikaru go inside, and he followed. '_Hikaru is growing_.'

* * *

'_Shindou should be at the Go Association today for the prelims,_' Akira thought to himself, walking to the building with purpose. '_My parents are gone on a weekend trip north, so this is the only time to strike._'

He sat on a bench near by the entrance to the building, and waited. He would get his book out, but there was no telling when the boy would leave.

When it was noon, he saw people move around inside, getting lunches. Seeing that it was nearly time, he sat up straighter, wondering if Shindou would eat in or out. To his pleasure, the boy in question left the building.

"Shindou," Akira said, getting up to follow the boy. Hikaru looked at him in surprise.

"Touya," he said with a nod in greeting.

"I came here to deliver a message. My father wants you to come over after you are done with your match."

"Really? Why?" Hikaru asked, frowning as he tried to remember why he might be called over.

"Oh, it's an informal study session. He wants to keep the meeting small. As you don't have a cell phone.."

"Ah, yeah, I suppose you had to come out, huh? Sorry about that, Touya," Hikaru said, scratching his cheek. "I suppose there's no reason for me to not come. Do you want to wait here or you'll go back home?"

"I'll go home to tell father that you've accepted the invitation. Just remember, father wants to keep it small, so don't tell others about it."

Hikaru slowly nodded in agreement, wondering why Touya Meijin wanted to keep the meeting small. Akira smiled and then left. Hikaru watched after Touya for a long moment. He widened his eyes in realization. '_He couldn't possibly think that he wants me to tell his son about Sai!_'

Sai frowned, watching Touya also, wondering what Meijin wanted.

"Well, Touya-san did say his father wanted a study session, so maybe it is just that? Perhaps he wants another game with me?" Sai asked, trying to figure out what the Meijin wanted.

"Maybe, it's been awhile since we went to one of his sessions. What with me being busy with school, being a pro and an insei," Hikaru said, then shrugged. "Whatever it is, it'll be good. Let's have lunch!"

* * *

Skipping happily out of the building, clenching his right fist where his third win was stamped onto his palm.

"I did it! I did it, Sai!" Hikaru said, grinning happily. "I don't need to come back tomorrow!"

Sai was doing his own dance, overjoyed for his student's latest win. "I knew you could do it, Hikaru!"

"Let's go over to Touya's, Sai, and see what the Meijin wants!"

Hikaru knocked on the door to the house, and a moment later, the door opened, revealing Akira at the door.

"Ah, welcome," Akira said, bowing politely. "We're going to use a different room today."

"Are we?" Hikaru asked in surprise. "Well, show the way then. Walking further into the house, Hikaru looked around, wondering where his mom was, he voiced his question.

"Ah, she's out shopping for groceries," he stammered. Hikaru furrowed his eyebrows together, wondering what was making Akira nervous. "Here we are."

Stepping into the room first, he looked around, and realized it was a bedroom. He heard the door click behind him and Hikaru looked and saw Akira staring back.

"Whose room is this? Why are we here?"

"We're here to discuss you," Akira said, crossing his arms.

"What!"

"Sit down Shindou, or I'll knock you out somehow and tie you up."

Gulping, he took a step back from Akira, seeing the full fury of Akira's in his eyes. It was on the same level as Sai's had been in his official match during the Young Lion's tournament. Hikaru shivered.

"This… you are blowing this out of proportion, Touya."

"Am I?" Akira asked in a steely voice. He walked over to a bulletin board. "Look at this, Shindou," he said, pointing to the various notes. Skimming the board, Hikaru realized they were all clues about himself and Sai. "From what I gathered from father, you do not have a mental illness. Why, I don't know, and I am hoping you would tell me."

Clenching his fists, Hikaru backed away from the crazy boy.

"Why can't you let it go? All you guys need to worry about is my Go and Sai's Go, and any details about it should be left alone. I only want to play. Sai only wants to play. Anything else is irrelevant."

"I hate mysteries, I need an explanation for everything."

"What about the Big Bang Theory? How did the world come into existence?" Hikaru asked. "Why is the English language so complicated with their placement of I's and e's and how we say i before e except after c, but not always, like believe, beige, receive, and weird?

"Shut up! They don't affect my life as the mystery of you does!" Akira snapped.

Hikaru's face cooled, glaring back at Akira. "I don't have time for your games, Touya, I'm leaving."

"I wouldn't, if I were you."

"Oh yeah?" Hikaru shot back.

"This house is booby trapped. I set everything up to stop you from leaving."

"I'm calling your bluff," Hikaru said, sliding the door open, and something wet and heavy fell on Hikaru.

* * *

Another chapter that is partially edited. I am aiming to finish the story at around the 50k mark, and the story is wrapping up so that's good. So while I promised a short story, I apologize for the behemoth this turned into. 'grins sheepishly' There were a few things the reviewers have said, but I am either ignoring them or are addressing some of them. For example, Akira being rather drastic with his behavior, and that is why I was slow to build that up in this story, and I am hoping this was achieved, because I know this is not exactly our canon Akira. But no worries, I think I'll let him go back to his usual self. Unless my Nanowrimo muse decides otherwise, of course...


	11. Chapter 11

"—ru, Hikaru?" someone said, and all Hikaru was aware of was his sense of balance was way off, and his head was pounding. He was glad that Sai was not shouting in his ears, he would have gone deaf otherwise.

Shifting slightly, he groaned as a new wave of pain hit him from his head. He slowly remembered what happened, while he ignored Sai's questions.

'…_It was Touya…_'

"Yes Hikaru… are you all right?"

'_How do I look?_' Hikaru asked with a biting tone.

"No, I suppose not," Sai said with a sad sigh. "You've been out for a few hours. Touya is waiting for you to wake up. I think he heard you when you woke up."

'_Great, what has he been doing since I've been knocked out?_'

Hikaru tried to move some more, but found resistance. '_Huh?_'

"He… tied you up, Hikaru. Like a calf," Sai said, feeling helpless in not being able to help him in this predicament.

'_Ugh, he really tied me up? Damn!_'

He opened his eyes, and met Akira's stare.

"Good morning, sunshine," Akira said quietly. Hikaru shivered, averting his eyes. "Are you going to talk?"

Hikaru glared in stony silence. Akira sighed, and got up from his bed.

"Suit yourself, I think I'll start with starving you while I eat ramen in front of you," he said, taking a bowl off a shelf. It was steaming.

Akira moved closer to Hikaru, and he could smell the dish. It was one of his favorites.

"How do you… no, never mind," Hikaru started and looked away, not wanting to talk to his captor.

"How did I what, Shindou?" he asked, picking up some noodles with his chopsticks and slurped it up quietly and with table manners. Hikaru glared at him.

"That's not how you enjoy ramen!"

Akira smirked, but kept eating in the same way, slowly slurping it up. Hikaru's mouth began to salivate, against his wishes.

'_Damnit! Waya was telling me that my love of ramen would do me in one day,_' Hikaru thought furiously.

"Why do you want to know? There's no point in knowing, Touya."

"Yes there is, I can sleep soundly for once at night. I haven't slept in months, you know," was the steely reply.

"I think you need to let a doctor check you up," Hikaru said, frowning at his Go pro colleague. Akira snorted.

"I am not crazy, Shindou, you are! I tried to get my mom to ask your mom to take you to the doctor, but that plan fell through."

Hikaru stared at Akira incredulously.

"I think you are barmy mad, Touya."

"Shut up!" Akira shouted, pointing at Hikaru with his chopsticks. Hikaru felt one of the flicked droplets on his upper lip. He licked it, and his stomach growled. Gritting his teeth, he tried to move away from Akira, but his movement was limited—the ropes had tied both his hands and feet together behind him. It was getting painful.

"If you're acting like this Touya, how would I even know how you would act if I told you? Frankly, the thought of you getting even crazier is a scary thought. I can't tell you," Hikaru said, and Akira's scowl deepened as he finished his bowl of ramen. "I can't trust you."

"Then I'll do something else to you. I rather like psychological tortures, and there are a few things I want to try."

Hikaru's face paled at the threat, and he knew he could no longer call the boy his bluff. '_He's serious, Sai!_'

"Hikaru…" Sai said, looking at both of the boys with worry. "Maybe… maybe you should tell him? I don't want you to suffer for my sake."

Hikaru studied Akira for a moment, swallowing thickly. If the bowl of ramen eaten by Touya in front of him had been hard, then he had no idea what else was up Akira's sleeves.

Hikaru suddenly shook his head violently, '_No, I'm not going to tell him! I can take on any psychological tricks he throws at me! I know his parents will eventually come home…_'

A horrified expression overcame Hikaru's face. "Where are your parents?" he asked, afraid of the answer. Akira smirked.

"They've gone for the weekend. Won't be back until Monday."

Today was Thursday.

'_Shit, no one knows I'm here!_' Hikaru realized, looking at Akira in a new light. '_This is not crazy, this is insane. Akira is insane. Why did I come here?_'

"He tricked us," Sai said, remembering their conversation from earlier. "He's very good," he said with narrowed eyes. "I think he may have been planning this, Hikaru."

"No shit, Sherlock," Hikaru muttered.

"There you go again, talking to yourself," Akira said suddenly, pointing his fingers at Hikaru. "You are the craziest person I know. Even crazier than my uncle!"

"Huh? I'm not crazy!"

"Yes you are. From the first time I've seen you, you've always been talking to yourself. Do you think you have an imaginary friend? Or do you have one?"

Hikaru stared up at Akira, who was now standing up.

"I'm not saying anything. All you need to know is that _I'm not crazy_."

"You belong in a mental institution, Shindou, with my uncle. I'm sure you two would be wonderful roommates."

Hikaru glared, but did not rise to Akira's taunts. Akira sighed and moved around behind Hikaru. He tried to shift his body to see the other direction, but still could not move. A familiar sound of stone hitting the wood hit Hikaru's ears, and wondered what Akira was up to now.

'_Sai, what is he doing?_'

"It seems he's reviewing a game between me and himself during the tournament…" he said, studying the board. "I am not sure as to his purpose, however."

'_It's a trick, I am sure. Maybe he'll try something while he's reviewing?_'

"He keeps looking over to you," Sai commented, explaining every action Akira did for Hikaru's benefit. "He does not look happy."

'_He's never happy, Sai._'

Silence stretched between the three of them, broken only by the clacking sounds of the stones to wood. The more Hikaru heard the sounds, the more fidgety he got, sure that Akira was going to do something horrible to him.

"Stop reviewing the game from the tournament!" Hikaru said, unable to take it anymore as Akira took longer to place the next stone.

"How did you know?" Akira snapped, and got to his feet. "Tell me, how did you know I was reviewing our last game?"

Hikaru kept his mouth shut, hitting himself mentally for saying anything. '_This torture is too much like the Chinese method… whatever that was called. Something to do with water. Damnit, I fell for it!_'

"Tell me, please," Akira said, his voice softening. "I just want to know, and stop thinking about you."

Hikaru's heart nearly burst at the pained voice Akira spoke with. Was that really all there was to it, Akira wanting to know about Sai?

"Would you… are you good at keeping secrets?" Hikaru asked, uncomfortable with talking to the crazy boy.

"Of course," Akira said, sitting in front of Hikaru. "I promise. If Ogata-sense and my father saw a need for secrecy, then I am sure I can keep a secret or two about you."

He felt his resolve waver in keeping the secret about Sai quiet. Letting out a long sigh.

"Go back to the _goban_, Touya, and clear it. We'll play a game."

"I'm not releasing you from where you are, Shindou," Akira said, narrowing his eyes.

"You don't need to. I'm just going to call out the coordinates from where I am now. Though, my left arm is asleep, and I'm very uncomfortable, so can we please get this over with, quickly?"

Akira studied Hikaru for a long moment, and nodded.

The board cleared, Akira announced, "I'll take black. Shall I tell you where I placed it?'

"No, that's the point. I'm not to know where you are playing," Hikaru said, and Akira raised his eyebrows in surprise. After Hikaru heard the stone clacked on the board, he waited for Sai.

"Are you sure about this, Hikaru? We can wait him out until his parents return…"

'_There's no telling what Touya will do to me. Four, five days of this torture? I can't take it!_'

Sai sighed, "All right… upper right star."

Hikaru relayed his message, and the game was on.

At the tenth hand, Akira stared at the board. '_How is this possible? I'm not playing in my usual places, and he reacts as he should… what if I played here?_'

Akira placed his black stone down, strengthening his area of influence. A moment later, he heard Hikaru call out the next coordinate.

"7-10."

'_This…_' Akira thought, a sense of horror swelled up in his chest. '_Is Sai's Go, the Go he uses for professional matches!_'

He looked at Hikaru, the tied up boy had no moved an inch since the game started. He had made sure of that. There was nothing reflective in this room. Swallowing nervously, Akira played his next hand.

Forty hands later, Akira shivered, staring at the board. If he did not come back from behind at this point, all would be lost.

"What is the meaning of this, Shindou?" he asked, gesturing to the board. "Are… are you telekinetic, somehow?"

Hikaru let out a snort, then his voice grew serious. "Well, all things considered about our world, that might not be too far out there…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Does this mean you've resigned?"

"I.. yes, I resign," Akira said, looking back at the board. It hardly even reached mid-game.

"Will you untie me? I rather sit up when I explain things," Hikaru asked. Akira bit his bottom lip, unsure of himself. "I won't do anything to you, or run out of here, or something, I promise. Just let me up."

"All right, you promised, Shindou," Akira said as he moved to Hikaru and began to untie him. "I'm… sorry about this. I really didn't want to do this, but you…"

"Forget it, Touya," Hikaru said as the last rope came off his wrists. He sat up, rubbing the sore areas where the ropes had been. "So, to start with one word to explain everything. Ghosts."

"Ghosts?" Akira asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, a certain ghost began haunting me when I found a _goban_. Turns out he also haunted Shuusaku."

Blinking owlishly at Hikaru, Akira's mind raced with the new information.

"And no one can see this ghost?"

"Right, as far as I know."

"How is it possible that he haunted Shuusaku? Shouldn't it be Shuusaku's ghost that is haunting you?"

Hikaru chuckled, "No, this ghost, Sai, has been around for a thousand years. Torajiro—his birth name—found a _goban _that housed Sai, and they became bonded, just as Sai and I are bonded."

Akira stared dumbly at the boy, still trying to wrap his mind around ghostly existence.

"Ghosts are real?" Akira asked.

"Very much so," Hikaru said with a solemn nod.

They were silent for a long time as Akira tried to understand. He got up and walked over to the bulletin board and stared at the information he had written down. '_Ghost here… that makes sense, ghost over there… yes… it seems to all fit. Especially with today's game._'

Akira spun around, facing Hikaru.

"I believe you."

Hikaru smirked, putting his hands into his pocket. "I had no doubts about that. The main question is," his face grew serious, "are you going to tell?"

Akira's eyebrows raised. "Who would believe me? No, I won't tell anyone. I… thank you for telling me."

Hikaru gave a wry smile. "You're still crazy for doing all that to me, Touya."

Akira turned away from him with an embarrassed frown. "I'm sorry, I really… I get like this when it involves mysteries."

"That's not exactly healthy, you know. Mysteries in life is a good thing. It's what makes life so interesting."

Akira glowered at Hikaru. "I don't care."

"Careful, you don't want to become crazy like your uncle."

"Shut up, I am not crazy," Akira snapped. "Besides, my uncle is crazy because he's suicidal, bipolar, and a slight case of schizophrenia . Has some strange ideas about life, which doesn't help his case at all."

"What strange ideas?"

"He thinks pineapples will one day rule the world and he covers his room with pictures of pineapples. At his last place of employment… ah… did not appreciate what he did to the office, and whenever someone brought some of that fruit for lunch…"

Hikaru laughed weakly.

"It's not a nice combination, to tell the truth. I do hope it does not run in the family."

Hikaru raised a single eyebrow at Akira.

"Careful, don't jinx it," Hikaru said. "You know, once you've found out about all this, you're tolerable."

"See, if you had told me about this sooner…"

"Whatever, Touya," Hikaru said, waving him off. "I'm hungry, got some of that ramen?"

Hikaru followed Akira out of the kitchen, keeping a safe distance from the other boy. '_He's still crazy, after what he's done…_' He shivered, knowing he had dodged the bullet with his life. '_No telling what he'll do in the future._'

"You think he might do something else in the future, Hikaru?" Sai asked, wearing a worried expression.

'_I can't trust him, think everything will be fine right after the things he's done? He did hurt me, Sai._'

Hikaru watched Akira make ramen with a wary expression. Akira noticed him, but did not make a comment.

'…_Did I really mess things up?_' Akira thought, waiting for the water to boil. '_Granted, that was really… rather violent of me._'

Thinking a moment longer, looking at Hikaru again. He saw the same wary expression, and Akira's shoulders drooped. '_What was I expecting? Did I think he would be fine after what I've done to him?_'

"Do you want to go home?" Akira asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Hm, I will after the ramen. You did torture me with that delicious looking ramen," Hikaru replied, and Akira flinched.

"I really am sorry, I shouldn't have done what I did."

"Shouldn't have, yeah, but it was done. You planned this all out for how long?" Hikaru asked.

Akira wondered if he should lie, but answered truthfully. "Almost two months."

Hikaru whistled, "That's like… serial killer type of thinking, Touya."

Akira shifted uncomfortably, putting his weight on one foot to another, and back. "I won't… do such a thing again. When mysteries are involved…"

Hikaru snorted, "And then once you have the mystery solved, a switch is flipped, and you're suddenly not a raving lunatic, is that it?"

The color pink tinged Akira's cheeks, "It really does sound bad, putting it that way… Do you forgive me?"

Hikaru studied Akira for a moment as noodles were put into the boiling pot. "No, not yet. I can't trust you."

A twinge of pain stabbed Akira's heart, but forced himself to nod. "I understand."

Hikaru eventually got his meal, the exact same smell wafting up from the bowl just as the smell he experienced back in that torture room. He took a bit of the noodles, "Mm! This is as good as I thought it would be," Hikaru said, breaking the silence between the boys that had lasted for the past five minutes.

"Thank you, it is one of my specialty."

"You make ramen?" Hikaru asked with a surprise look. "I wouldn't have taken you for a ramen-eating person like I am."

Akira chuckled, looking away with embarrassment. "I do like ramen."

Hikaru grinned, "I should take you to Igo Ramen, it's a neat place."

"Igo… Ramen?" Akira asked, curious. "Do they put Go stones theme food into it?"

"No, but I think the chef might like the idea. Wonder what food would resemble black and white stones?"

"You'll have to show me the place some time," Akira said, sitting down at the table with a glass of water.

Hikaru grinned, 'Yeah."

* * *

"Welcome to Igo Ramen, how can I help you?" Raito asked, looking at the pair of boys.

"Hi Raito-san, I'll have a teriyaki ramen, and the Go Special."

"Excellent choice, what's your level now?"

"I'm taking the pro exams, I just passed the preliminaries," Hikaru replied.

"Oh-o? Well congratulations, and good luck. Here's are the Go problems. As for you sir?"

"I'll… um…" Akira mumbled, looking over the wide variety of ramen on the menu. "Try the eel ramen, and a Go special too, please. I am a sho dan pro."

"Ah, I thought you looked familiar…" Raito said with a nod, taking out another piece of paper. He snapped his head to Hikaru. "Wait a second, aren't you a pro now?" he asked with a frown.

"My… situation's unique, sir, I'm both a pro and an insei. I have two Go in me," Hikaru said, scratching his head, wondering if Raito would believe him.

"Hm… I'd like to see something, can you solve both the pro level tsumego and the pro examination level one?"

"Uh, sure, I could do that…" Hikaru said with a nod. "Just give me the hardest one you have."

"Confident, eh? Let's see if you can solve all ten problems. I'll serve you unlimited ice cream if you do," he said with a chuckle.

"You promised, sir," Hikaru said, grinning back as he accepted the second sheet. This caused Raito's smile to falter. Raito watched the boys take their seats close to the counter, but not at the bar.

'_Hm, that boy is interesting,_' Raito thought as he started making the orders.

* * *

Raito stared at the sheet of paper in amazement, it was his hardest tsumego yet, reserved for the title-holders.

'_By God… is he a genius?_' he wondered, looking at the lower level Go problems he had first gave to Hikaru. There was one problem the boy had gotten wrong. It was a simple one too for his level. Scratching his head in confusion, he was not sure what to make of this. "Well, you missed one problem."

He pointed to the said problem to Hikaru who groaned loudly. "Aw man! Unlimited ice cream slipped out of my hands!"

Akira smirked, amused by the distressed expression Hikaru was wearing. It was so childish. Raito smiled at the pair.

"All right, two orders of ice cream coming right up," Raito announced.

"This is a really nice place," Akira commented to Hikaru.

"hee, hee, yeah, I've been here once before, by accident really. On that day with my friends when you were shopping, remember?"

"Oh, yes… that was awhile back..."

"I know, I really should come here more often. It's not too far from the Go Association," Hikaru said with a nod.

* * *

"Aw man, I lost again, by ten moku!" Hikaru groaned, falling backwards from his seated position, his arms splayed.

"You are getting better, Hikaru, I know you will be able to pass the exams with ease," Sai said with a smile. "You have really grown. Remember this time last year? You were just entering the insei program."

"Hm, I suppose you are right…" Hikaru mumbled, looking at Sai from where he laid on the ground. "It's thanks to you."

Sai covered half his face with his face, embarrassed by his student's thanks. "It is my pleasure, Hikaru."

'_Perhaps God had placed me with this boy, to cultivate his talents. If not for me… he would not be playing Go._'

He could see that the Go world would be less for it. Emptier, purposeless. Yet, with Hikaru in it, he was shaking things up. Sai could tell from his own matches in various oteai games, teaching games at conventions, tournaments—he was finishing up in round one of the Honinbo league, and was now entering the league for the Juudan. Hikaru had pulled some strings to enter a second league for Sai, and Ogata-sensei backed him up.

That was probably why more, and more people were paying attention to the thirteen year old youth. Sai looked forward to playing many stronger players soon. Not that the lower dan players were incapable of challenging Sai.

"What are you thinking about, Sai?" Hikaru asked, distracting the ghost from his musings.

"Just thinking about the stronger players I will get to play in the leagues," Sai replied, closing his fan.

"Ah, you're looking forward to it that much, huh? I'm looking forward to it too. Watching you play against those on a lower level hardly compares to those who are ranked higher."

"Hikaru, that doesn't mean there aren't any strong players in the lower dan levels! They have to make their own way up. Would you consider me a low ranking dan since I'm still only a sho dan?"

"Of course not, Sai…" Hikaru said with a frown as he sat back up. "I guess I get what you are saying."

"Another game?"

Hikaru began clearing the board, grinning. "I'll beat you by nine moku!"

"We shall see," Sai said with a determined face. "I won't go easy!"

"Hah, like I want you to go easy on me!"

* * *

"Where did that kid come from?" one asked another insei halfway through the pro exam. "Wasn't he at the bottom of second class for, what, three month? When he came here?"

"He was barely able to play," replied another. "If you had him play in a school tournament, and he played at a school who don't have a Go club, he would be a third board."

"That poor? And look at the way he's playing now!"

"He is terrifying. Even the insei in first class were watching him. He made first class in March."

"Geez… he's scaring me, I have to play him next week."

"Talking about Shindou?" another asked, showing up in the group of whisperers. "Yeah, I'm playing him today, I don't understand where he gets his strength from."

"Maybe he's cheating, you know, with his other Go."

"Why would he cheat?" asked the current player of Shindou.

"So he could be a pro with his second Go? He'd probably make twice as much money," said the second person in the group. His voice sounded bitter.

"That's not fair," said the first person. "He's taking up another spot at passing the exams. He already passed last year! It's hard enough as it is, passing with only three seats up for grabs. If Shindou keeps this up, there's going to be only two seats to try and win," said the current player glumly.

The group now were silently fuming over their insei opponent.

* * *

'_Is it me, or is the room more… tense?_' Hikaru asked Sai, entering the playing room. The tension in the air was palable.

"I think so, Hikaru…" Sai said, looking around the room with a worried look. "I think they don't like you."

Hikaru let out a sigh and made his way over to his board. He had three more weeks of the exams left, and he had yet to lose a match. '_Whatever their problem is with me, it better not affect my Go or my exam. I would really like to win this year's exam without a loss._'

"I wouldn't have such high hopes, Hikaru. There are a few here that could challenge you. Remember Ochi-san? You play him on the last day."

'_Ah, yeah, that's right… and Waya the day before. Tomorrow, I face Isumi-san…_' Hikaru thought, and his shoulders drooped at remembering that he had to face his friends. The four of them were all without a loss at this point.

Hikaru shook his head, '_No, I need to focus on today's match!_'

* * *

"So, when was the last time we played?" Isumi asked, sitting down before the board. Hikaru seated himself, thinking.

"Last month, I think, before the preliminaries," Hikaru replied.

"Ah, yeah…" Isumi said, swallowing. "I couldn't remember if it was your Go or Sai's. I played Sai's just before the exams…"

Hikaru looked at the older teen, wondering how he could help his friend. This was not going to be an easy match. Today, he had to face with the possibility of having his first loss. He had lost his match against his friend by five moku. Needless to say, he resigned in _yose_.

"Please begin," Hikaru heard the proctor, and the boys performed _nigiri_. Hikaru got white.

'_Here it goes,_' he thought, watching Isumi play his first hand. Hikaru played at 4-5.

Hikau felt a sweat drip down along the side of his cheek, and rubbed it. He was waiting for Isumi's 65th hand. In each hand, he could feel the pressure of the older teen. His fists clenched, he tried to read ahead in the game again. His cluster of stones towards the center from the left side was in danger, and he wanted to connect that group with his living group at the top left.

'_There has to be a way…_' he thought, studying the board. His body started cramping up. '_Gah, I need to stretch!_' he thought, looking at the time. They had half an hour left to lunch braek. Hearing the clacking of the stone, he looked to see where Isumi had played.

'_Right, I'll take a quick break while I think about this new move…_' he thought. "Excuse me, I need to stretch."

Isumi face turned from intense concentration to looking up in surprise. "Oh, okay…"

Hikaru quickly left the room, thinking about the new hand and how it affected his endangered cluster of stones.

"Hikaru?" Sai murmured, following close behind the boy.

"Quiet," Hikaru snapped as he stretched his body to loosen his muscles. He heard someone else speak.

"I.. I'm sorry!" the other occupant in the room had said, fearful. Hikaru winced, realizing he had spoken out loud.

"It's alright, it wasn't you I was talking to," Hikaru said, smiling apologetically. The other boy relaxed and nodded as he resumed whatever he was doing to relax himself during the exam. Hikaru recognized the boy as the one who took breaks the most during this year's exams.

'_He's not going to last…_' Hikaru thought, pitying the guy. '_Yosh, one, two, three_!' he thought to himself, performing basic stretches, following Sai's examples, and listening to his encouraging words.

"You got this, Hikaru, four, five six! And a-one, two three.."

Sufficiently relaxed, Hikaru went back into the room. He had used up ten minutes of his time.

Hikaru immediately played a hand, and Isumi stared at the stone in surprise. He looked up at Hikaru.

'_Did he place it in the wrong spot? What is he doing?_' Isumi wondered, and he did not spot any worried expression on the boy's face. '_Did he intend to make this move? Or… he's biding his time? He's wasted a turn… Taking that break must have thrown him off._'

He immediately played his turn, readying himself to kill the cluster of stones. '_Please resign soon, this is slaughter, Shindou-san…_ _I don't want to crush you._'

Hikaru played his next hand. Isumi did a follow-up to the new stone. Five moves later, Isumi stared at the board in shock.

'_That stone… I thought it was a mistake, but he found a way to survive! How did he do it?_' Isumi wondered, looking up at Hikaru. The boy was half smiling, as though he had won a particularly tough battle. Which it had been.

'_Hm, you are good, Shindou… I can see why others have feared you in this exam_,' Isumi thought, swallowing his fear. He had to give it to the kid. '_But, I will win this match, I'm sorry._'

As the game ended, the boys counted their territory. Isumi bowed his head. '_One and half moku loss! Where did I go wrong?_'

Remembering the stone Hikaru had played, tricking Isumi into thinking that it was a mistake, a poor hand. It had been the deciding factor in this game.

"Thank you for the game," Hikaru murmured quietly, putting the stones away.

"You've really gotten stronger, Shindou-san."

Hikaru's reply was his smile, then he got to his feet. "I'm sorry."

Isumi shook his head. "It's not your fault. I'll just have to make sure I maintain my win-loss now."

Hikaru nodded, then went his way to the table to mark the win and the loss. After leaving the play room, he heard the whispers die away.

'_This is getting really annoying, are they talking about me?_' Hikaru wondered, looking around the room with suspicion. The others were averting their eyes from the pro-insei teen. '_Yeah, look at how they're avoiding me._'

A hand slapped his back, Hikaru nearly lost his balance, and he spun around in indignation. "Tsubaki! Don't do that!"

"Another win, eh?" he asked, grinning. "Good show, good show, well, I suppose I better get going home. See you later, kid."

Scowling after the older man, Hikaru shook his head as he made his way to the cubbyholes and grabbed his things.

"Hey Shindou," Waya called out to him. "I heard you won today. Against Isumi."

"Yeah, it was a pretty exciting game. I want to review it with him later this week for the Study session at my place. Want to come?"

"Sure!" Waya said, grinning.

Since the preliminaries, Hikaru had found himself wanting to invite his insei friends over for studying Go. Especially with the exams coming up then. His infrequent attendance to the Touya Meijin's study sessions had inspired him, and wanted to give that to his friends. Waya rarely came by, saying it often conflicted with his own mentor's study. Hikaru's mom had been ecstatic to play a host to his Go friends when it had started. She had occasionally listened to the discussion from the side, and asked a few questions about different strategies, but was not often able to fully comprehend the intricate complexity of the game, but he admired her for trying.

His dad, on the other hand… kept his distance from the study sessions, claiming he did not want to get in his son's way.

Friday after school, he got the living room ready for the Go session with his friends. He had brought down his cheap board from his room. Soon, his insei friends started arriving.

"Hello Shindou-san," Nase greeted his mom upon entering. She was the last to arrive.

"Welcome, please make yourself at home," she said, closing the door as Nase took her shoes off.

"Now that everyone is here," Hikaru said, grinning at Nase. She was hardly late, only two minutes early. She threw him a slight dirty look as she made her way over to a seat on the floor. "How is everyone doing in the exams?"

"All right, just hanging in there," Fuku replied. "Isumi beat me the other day."

"Still have no loss," Waya said, his chest puffed with pride.

"Don't speak too soon, Waya," Isumi said with a dark look. "I play you next." Waya's chest deflated at the reminder.

"I don't think I can pass this year," Nase said, frowning. "At this rate…"

"Don't be like that, there's still a chance, Nase-chan!" Hikaru exclaimed. "As for me, I'm doing all right."

"You're doing more than 'all right,' Shindou," Isumi stated with a wry smile. "Shall we review the games this week?"

"Let's do that," Hikaru agreed. "But you know, I want to ask something. Are people saying some things about me?"

The group looked at each other with awkward glances.

"You don't want to know," Waya said at last. "Just some nasty words being said. They have no business talking the way they were talking."

"So they _were_ talking about me," Hikaru said with a scowl. "I thought I was imagining things."

"Can we just review the games?" Isumi asked with a pained expression. None of the insei were comfortable with this line of discussion. Hikaru sighed, then nodded.

"I want to review Shindou verus Isumi's game," Waya requested, and others agreed. They were all surprised by the outcome and were curious to know what had happened.

"…and then I played this hand."

"That was a mistake, Shindou, what were you thinking?" Waya exclaimed when he saw it.

"Be quiet, Waya," Isumi scolded. "This hand was played after he took a ten minute break. I thought so too, though, so I played here…"

A few hands later, the group shouted in exclamations.

"Whoa, that was…" Fuku said, leaning closer to the board for a closer look.

Waya was speechless after his shout.

"This, I think, decided the game," Isumi said, scratching his head nervously. "That's why I lost by a moku and a half."

"Man…" Waya muttered, looking at Shindou. "And I have to play you the day before the last day. You're getting seriously strong."

Waya shivered. "I'll need to protect all my games then."

Hikaru bowed his head in embarrassment. He did not want to be in this situation, where all his friends had to fight for the spot at becoming a pro. At best, only three of the five people in this room could become a pro. At worse… well, none of them could pass, but that was unlikely, Hikaru knew.

After the long study session, the insei made their way home for the night.

"That was a very revitalizing discussion, Hikaru," Sai said, smiling after the insei. Hikaru closed the door.

"Yeah, it was,' Hikaru said. He had by now grown comfortable in speaking aloud in the house when it was just his parents home. "Let's play a game."

"Yay! Yes, let's!" Sai said, running ahead of Hikaru to the living room. Hikaru laughed and chased Sai.

* * *

Sorry, once again, this chapter is unedited. The next chapter or two will be the final one of this story. I can't believe it's almost over already.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hi mom," Akira greeted her after taking his shoes off.

"Hello Akira, how was your school?" she asked conversationally as she looked up from reading a book on the couch.

"Well enough, I got a 95% on my science test."

"Good job, keep it up!" she said, smiling and then returned to reading. No sooner than when Akira retreated further inside the house than Akiko looked up with a sudden realization.

'_Wait, these past few weeks… no, how long has it been?_' she wondered, thinking of her son. '_It… why haven't we noticed it until now?_'

Remembering the poor attitude her son had for nearly half a year, maybe longer, she frowned, wondering when it—her son back to his usual self—had all happened. '_Did Kouyo notice? I'll have to ask him…_'

Some hours later, she took her husband aside after dinner. "Have you noticed Akira? He's… been back to his usual self."

"Hm?" he looked at her for a moment, thinking. "Ah, Akira… He does seem to be back to normal. When did this happen?"

"I don't know, I just thought of it today when Akira came home from school today…"

"I see, perhaps he had his mystery solved?" he mused, looking off into the distance in thought. "I'll speak with him."

"Thank you," she said, relieved.

"Akira?" Kouyo asked, knocking on the side of the door.

"Come in, father," was the reply. After shutting the door behind him, Kouyo surveyed the room. Akira was doing his homework at his desk. "What can I do for you?"

"Your mother and I realized something different about you, Akira. Did you have the mystery solved…?"

"Oh!" Akira's face brightened. "Yes, I solved it, Shindou told me a few months ago."

"Ah, well, that's…" Kouyo said, wondering what to say next. '_That long ago? How had we not noticed it?_'

"I'm sorry for worrying you two," Akira said, bowing. "I must have been difficult."

Kouyo chuckled, "Please do not let it happen again, Akira. How did he tell you?"

"Ah…" Akira stammered, looking away. "Well, I made him tell me."

Kouyo's eyes sharpened at his words.

"I hope you didn't harm him, or threatened to."

Akira swallowed, "I… I didn't."

Kouyo watched his son for a moment, making a humming suspicious noise in his throat. Akira visibly flinched.

"I did apologize to Shindou for… the way I went about it."

"And… how did you go about it, Akira?"

Akira swallowed thickly, remembering why people generally respected and feared the man. He had too much of a presence. Sometimes, he felt cursed to be the son of this man.

As though the mere presence of the man had undone some sort of lock on his mouth, he told all he had done against Shindou.

Kouyo stared at his son in shock, and grew more alarmed the more his son told the details of his actions.

"How… did I raise such a son?" Kouyo asked, his body slack with shock. Akira flinched again at his words. "How can you be so… thoughtless? This is practically a crime the police persecute people for, and my son…"

"I'm sorry father," Akira said almost silently.

"We will discuss your punishment later, Akira," Kouyo said, then left the room.

A hot feeling of shame grew on Akira's face, hating himself for having a loose tongue around his father, and for what he had done to Shindou. He wondered what he would be punished with.

* * *

'_Today's the day,_' Hikaru thought, looking up at the Go Association building. So far, Isumi and Waya both had two losses, Ochi—to the surprise of some, had one loss. The ginger-haired boy had lost to Isumi. After _that_ game, the short boy had locked himself in the bathroom until closing of the building. The janitor had to tell the boy to beat it, in a polite way.

Hikaru managed to have no losses, and today he would face Waya.

Ochi glared at the passing boys as he took his shoes off. The boys in question were Isumi, Waya and Shindou. He put most of his anger at Isumi, the reason for his break in his winning streak. He was glad he did not let the loss affect his next day's match, however much he did struggle to win in that one.

'_Shindou… he's the biggest threat in this year's exam. If he beats me, I might have to do a face-off match with Waya and Isumi. If I lose today or tomorrow, then I will have to do the face-off. Then there's today's match… if Shindou wins, Waya has three losses and is out of the running. Shindou better win today. Isumi…_' he thought, looking at the opponent Isumi would play. '_Ah, Nase. Well, I suppose that's an easy win for him. Tomorrow too to that weak outsider._'

Pushing his glasses up, he walked away from the table.

In another room, the officials were talking to each other.

"This year's exam… is pretty tight," Shinoda said, tapping his paper with a pen with a thoughtful frown. "If Shindou-san loses today and wins tomorrow, there's a possibility of a three-way face-off."

"What do you think, Shinoda-sensei? Who will win today?"

"In my opinion?" Shinoda asked, raising an eyebrow. "Shindou-san will win today. He's really something else. He was barely past a beginner in Go when he became an insei… and now he has an unbroken winning streak."

The other man shook his head in awe, "I remember meeting him once. He doesn't seem like your average Go player."

Shinoda chuckled. "I've grown fond of him, I admit. I have high expectations for him."

"So, Isumi-san has two losses…" the man murmured. "I understand losing to Shindou, but why did he lose to an outsider? Tsubaki?"

"Ah, that was a rather trying day for Isumi-san," Shinoda said with a nod. "It seems Tsubaki's tactic is to scare the youngsters with his… personality, I suppose you could say. He managed to have three losses in this year's exams. Lost to Waya, Ochi, and Shindou."

The other man chortled, "It seems to have worked. Too bad he is out of the running now. He might have had a chance, but… the top four are immovable."

"In any case, we won't have a face-off if Waya-kun loses today to Shindou-san, and the other two keep their losses," Shinoda said, getting to his feet. "Let's go get started."

* * *

Waya and Hikaru stared at each other, nervous. Almost everything was riding on today's match and if Hikaru lost today and tomorrow, there would be at least three people with two losses. Hikaru had not checked on Ochi as of late.

"So, this is it, huh, Shindou?"

"Yeah."

He felt his stomach squirm in a very uncomfortable way, his skin felt clammy.

Hikaru closed his eyes, trying to relax himself, listening to Sai's encouraging words. In a way, he had his own personal cheerleader, and it was probably unfair, as no one else had such a thing sticking with them everywhere they went, especially to matches like today.

'_I can do this. I'm sorry Waya, but I need to win,_' he thought, trying to stop the queasy feeling in his stomach.

In Waya's thoughts were similar, '_Shindou, sorry about this but I will crush you. Break your winning streak, or I won't have a chance to go pro this year._'

"Please begin," Shinoda announced.

"_Nigiri_," Hikaru said as they performed their start of game ritual. Waya played black's first hand.

At the start of their mid-game, Hikaru stared at the new hand Waya had just played. '_Oh… damn, I didn't see that coming!_'

Staring at the new stone that now ruined Hikaru's area of influence. Biting his bottom lip in concentration, he tried to think of different ways to negate the stone, but came up with nothing. He tried to ignore the rumbling of his stomach, and the cold sweat his skin was breaking out into.

Clenching his hands, he closed his eyes, trying to figure out a way to win this new battle Waya had started, but the slight wooziness in his body disrupted his concentration. Opening his eyes again, he quickly counted the points. They were even for now, but if Waya had his way, he would lose.

'_No, I've got to do something!_' he thought to himself, taking up a white stone. With shaky hands, he played what he hoped was the best move in this case. Waya, as though he expected that hand, played the next move immediately. Surprised, Hikaru stared at the game. '_Where did I go wrong?_' he wondered. Swallowing, he tried to still his shaky body, he tried to secure his area to prevent any more loss to his territory. Waya was able to prevent any of Hikaru's attempts in doing so.

The longer Hikaru tried to win this battle, the wider the gap in points got. Hikaru bowed his head when he saw that he had lost the battle.

"I… resign," Hikaru said, his breath coming out in short quiet gasps.

He didn't hear Waya get up and leave.

'_I've got to win tomorrow, or I'm a goner!_' he thought to himself. '_Where did I go wrong?_'

"Hikaru… that stone was—" Sai began to talk, but Hikaru couldn't hear what he was saying.

His stomach grumbled in a queasy way, alerting to Hikaru that if he did not get to the bathroom, he would get sick all over the board. With quick steps, he ran out of the room, ignoring people's cry of surprise.

Emptying his stomach into a toilet, he heard someone talking.

"Shindou? Are you all right?"Waya asked.

"Shuddup, lea'me alone," Hikaru mumbled, realizing why he was not in his top form today. He had ignored his body this morning. "I thin' I ha'da flu…"

He moaned, and puked again into the toilet. '_Why did I eat so much for lunch?_'

"Shindou?" Waya asked, sounding more worried.

"I wan'my… go ged Shinoda-shenshi."

What he really wanted right now want his mom, with her soups, and making sure he got fluids. Curling on the floor was highly uncomfortable. In no time at all, he heard Shinoda at his side.

"Are you all right?" Shinoda asked, putting his hand on Hikaru's shoulder.

"I think he has the flu," Waya said.

"Ah… I will call his home. I'm sure his mom will fetch him," Shindoa said, worried about the boy before him. "Shindou… Shindou, can you hear me? Hikaru."

"Mghmph," was his only reply.

"Let's get you to a more comfortable room. Are you still feeling queasy?"

No reply, all Shinoda got was a blank gaze.

"Maybe he needs to get to the hospital?" Shindoa asked himself. "Waya-kun, please have Dante-san call for an ambulance, and then inform the Shindou's residence that Hikaru will be at the Yamaha Hospital."

"Yes sensei," Waya said and ran out of the room to do as he was ordered. Shinoda tried to help Hikaru get to his feet, but he was not as young as he used to be, and decided to make Hikaru more comfortable by taking his business suit jacket off and turning it into a pillow for the boy's head.

'_I hope he can play tomorrow…_' Shinoda thought, watching the boy with anxiousness.

"Huh? What's this?" a boy asked, entering the bathroom.

"Please do your business elsewhere," Shinoda requested. The boy looked at Hikaru with slight alarm but nodded and left the bathroom.

Eventually, Hikaru was now resting on a hospital bed, Mistuko just arrived.

"What's wrong with Hikaru?" she asked, walking up to her son with hurried steps.

"He has a bad case of flu," Shinoda replied, relieved to see the woman. "The doctors says he should be all right in the morning, one of those 24-hour influenza. Or so he says. I hope so…"

Mitsuko nodded, looking at her son, fretting. "I am glad you were there, Shinoda-sensei. Thank you for looking out for him."

"No thanks necessary, you should thank Waya-kun for getting me."

"Ah, one of his friends," she said with recognition. "Yes, I will do that. But, nevertheless, thank you."

He bowed in acceptance of her thanks. "I need to go back to the Go Association. The exams are still on-going, and there are details I will need to take care of."

"Oh! The exams, how did… he do today? Will he be able to take the exam tomorrow?"

He was silent for a moment, "I don't know Shindou-san. He lost today."

"Oh, poor Hikaru, he was winning all his matches!" she said, flicking a hair strand away from the boy's wet forehead who had flinched at the touch. "Hikaru? I'm here, honey."

"Mmm," Hikaru tried to speak.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine, shush…" she hummed to her son. When was the last time she had cared for him like this? "Thank you Shinoda-san, you may leave."

"Thank you, I hope to see him tomorrow, but he shouldn't put unnecessary stress on himself."

She smiled, knowing it would be hard to keep Hikaru to a bed if he got a little better. With a bow, the teacher left the room.

* * *

"Mom, I got a match today, please let me go to it!" Hikaru exclaimed, trying to get off the bed while a nurse was checking over him.

"Be still, Hikaru! You've got two hours until the start of the match," she admonished him.

"Yes, listen to her, Hkaru," Sai said. Ever since the boy had run out of the room, Sai had been beside himself with worry over his student. The fact that Hikaru had not noticed, not heard what Sai was saying, left him utterly helpless as he watched the going-ons around the boy. No matter how hard he tried, he could not talk to the teacher, to Waya, or to Hikaru's mom.

"I feel fine! It takes an hour to get to the place, mom!" Hikaru said, frantic at the idea of losing his match today by default if he did not appear on time.

"I will drive you there, so it will take less than half an hour. Now, be still for the nice nurse here."

Hikaru sat back on his bed, pouting as the nurse bussed around him. He did not miss the thankful look the nurse sent his mom. Ashamed of himself for being a brat, he became compliant with whatever the nurse wanted to do.

Soon, a doctor showed up, looking over the notes the nurse had collected about the latest examination.

"Hm, a fever of 99.7, and going down. I think you are fit to be discharged. However, please take it easy for the rest of the day and drink plenty of fluids."

"I will be with him today, doctor," Mitsuko promised. "I'll make sure he does not do anything reckless."

The adults ignored Hikaru's cry of "Mom!" as they continued to discuss his health as though he were not in the room. Hikaru crossed his arms, scowling. Then he heard the magic words from the doctor.

"You may be dismissed, please have a good day," the doctor announced.

Grinning, he got out of the bed and quickly got dressed behind the curtains.

"Let's go, let's go, mom," Hikaru said, tugging his mom along by the arm behind him with a soft pull to encourage her to walk a little faster.

"Hikaru, slow down, you just got over flu!" Mitsuko said, resisting the pull. Hikaru sighed, and slowed his paces. Hikaru looked at the time, and was gratified to see that he had more than an hour, provided the traffic was light.

"Thanks mom," Hikaru said, giving her a half hug as he got out of the car. She followed out. "…you're coming in?"

"Yes, Hikaru, I'm going to make sure you don't do anything reckless," Mitsuko said, walking side by side with her son into the building. Hikaru let out a sigh, but did not complain, to her relief.

Sai walked on the other side of Hikaru, looking worried. He remembered the time with Torajiro, and how he had died due to a cholera. He was amazed by how quick the flu had been—both coming on, and going away. He had never heard such a thing in the past. Perhaps technological advances did not apply just to transportation and information gathering, but to medicine as well. For a moment, Sai had worried that Hikaru would fail the exams this year, but to his relief, the boy would be able to take it today.

* * *

"Huh? You're back?" Ochi asked, looking at Hikaru in surprise. With a harrumph, he turned away. "Doesn't matter, I'll win."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes at the shorter boy with deterimination.

'_That's where you're wrong, Ochi.'_

"Ah, he's back!" Waya exclaimed, garnering attention of the people in the room. Soon, Hikaru was surrounded by his friends and some curious onlookers.

"Are you seriously all right? You scared me yesterday," Waya said, looking up and down over Hikaru. "Did your loss…"

"No, I thought it was nerves before the match, but… I guess it got worse."

"Oh," Waya said, eyes widened in realization. "So that's why you couldn't read that part of the board."

Hikaru looked at Waya with a curious glance.

"I'll explain later," Waya promised. "Let's go in. Win against Ochi, please."

"I will, don't worry, I'm in my top form!" Hikaru said, raising his hands in a fist. Waya smirked.

"Yeah, send him to the bathroom!" Waya said with an identical pumped fists. Hikaru grinned, feeling more confident.

_Tok_

_Tok_

_Tok_

'_I lost, how did I lose? I don't understand! I should have gotten a default win today…_' Ochi thought, sniffing. '_That move there… I thought it was a mistake. He tricked me!_'

_Tok_

'_Now I have to face Isumi and Waya again. I need to win.'_

_Tok_

_Tok_

* * *

"Congratulations, Shindou-san on passing," Shinoda said, smiling. "You had us worried for a moment."

Hikaru gave a big grin. "Sorry to have worried you, sensei. Thank you for everything," he said, bowing.

Shinoda gave a return bow. "Now, I need to prepare the matches between Waya, Isumi, and Ochi…" he said, dismissing himself as he went to the office where other officials were.

"Congrats," Waya said, patting Hikaru on the back. "I heard Ochi in the bathroom."

"Hehhehe," Hikaru laughed, scratching his head. "Good luck, I hope you and Isumi can pass."

"Me too," Isumi said, joining the pair. "It's my last year as an insei… I don't know what I would do if I failed."

"Well, if you failed, don't go running off to China or something," Waya said with a grin.

Isumi chuckled, "Run off to China? Me? No way."

"Let's go out to eat, I didn't eat much today," Hikaru suggested.

"Hikaru," his mom said, spotting him and interrupted the conversation. "How did you do?"

"I won, I'll become a pro now!" Hikaru said, grinning.

"Oh, congratulations!" she said, smiling at her son. "We should have a party."

"Aw mom, don't…" Hikaru started, but stopped when he saw a slight frown on her face. "All right, just nothing too big, all right?"

"Of course," she said, brightening up again. "Now, did I hear something about you not eating much during lunch? I did tell you to take it easy…"

"I know, I know, I'm just… really hungry right now. I was thinking of Igo Ramen."

"Igo Ramen?" Waya and Isumi asked, imagining Go stones in a bowl of noodles set on top of a _goban_.

"You guys haven't…? Man! I keep forgetting there are people who hasn't heard of the place, let's go!"

Without further protests from anyone, they made their way out for food.

* * *

Hikaru went on the computer to check the results of the three-way face-off matches. With a nervous click of a button, the page loaded.

"Mm…" Hikaru looked over the three names and counted their wins and losses.

Isumi Shinichiro – 2 wins

Ochi Kousuke – 2 losses

Waya Yoshitaka – 1 win, 1 loss

"Yes!" he exclaimed jumping out of his chair with a pumped fist. "You guys did it!"

He ran out of the room with a whoop, ignoring the fact that maybe Sai's antics were rubbing off him as he danced around the room.

"Hikaru, what…" his mom, looking at her son with bewilderment.

"My friends passed the exams!"

"Oh, that's wonderful news," she said, her face bright. "We should have a party for all three of you."

Grinning, Hikaru agreed, saying it is a swell idea. He threw himself on the couch with a happy sigh. He was glad to see his friends pass. Hikaru had worried Waya would lose to Ochi again, but somehow the short boy had lost. He would have to get the story from Waya.

Sai stood by, watching his antics as he celebrated his friends' wins. The ghost could not be more pleased, knowing that his friends would be entering the Go world with him.

"I wonder who you will play for the sho dan series?" Sai mused, causing Hikaru to sit up.

"Oh yeah! The sho dan series! Hm, I wonder who I will play?" Hikaru thought, leaning back down again, his hands behind his head.

* * *

"So, how did you send him to the bathroom?" Hikaru asked, sitting down on his couch.

"Heh, I don't know, I think after he lost to you, he was off his game the next day, against me. Thanks, Shindou! I thought I was not going to hang on…"

Waya let out a phew sound. "I had nightmares the last for a few nights during that time…"

"But you did it," Hikaru said, grinning. "Thanks mom," he said as he accepted her can of coke.

"Congratulations on all of you, I'm going to host a party in your honor," she said, holding up the tray against her chest.

"Oh no, you don't need to trouble yourself…" Isumi began to say, but Mitsuko waved him off.

"It's a pleasure of mine, I haven't hosted a party since Hikaru's 10th birthday. After that… he began doing his own thing…" she said with a frown.

"Sorry mom," Hikaru said with a slight blush. He hadn't realized until then how much she enjoyed having parties. "You can make it as big as you want it, I guess."

"Really? I can?" she asked as though he gave her a wonderful Christmas present early. "Oh Hikaru!" she exclaimed, putting aside the tray and hugged her son.

"Aw shucks, mom, please, we have company!" Hikaru complained, throwing murderous looks at Waya who was trying to suppress his snickers but failing. Mitsuko ignored his complaints, hugging for a moment longer, then let go.

"I'll get the party started!" she said and then skipped off. "It'll be next Friday!" she sang.

There was amoment of silence.

"You have a cool mom," Isumi said, smiling. Hikaru looked down, face still red-hot.

"Yeah, yeah, let's… move on."

* * *

Sai watched Hikaru hang a new calendar on the wall near the door, as ordered by Mitsuko. This year's theme was of old Go masters. On each picture of the month held a scroll painting and an explanation or bio about each person or a particular _kifu_.

"We should be hearing from the Go Association soon about the exhibition matches," Hikaru said, looking at the old calendar. Sai's matches had been later in the month of January. "It would be interesting to play Kuwabara-sensei again. Hey mom, what do you want with this calendar?"

"Just put it on the desk in the study, I'll take care of it," was the reply.

With a single nod, Hikaru looked at the current month's picture. It was of Honinbo Jowa and the blood-vomiting game.

"…What a great way to start the year," Hikaru said wryly. "Let's go play a game on Net Go."

"Hikaru?" his mom asked, stopping him from going to the study where the computer was. "Could I… could I talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?" Hikaru asked, slightly puzzled by her hesitation.

"I just want… to ask something. I know you said it before, not to ask because it might… fry my brain or something," she said, sitting on a couch across from Hikaru on the floor by the _goban_. Hikaru went on alert at this line of conversation.

"I just want to make sure it is nothing," she said, wondering how she could ask her son. She did not like the idea of taking her son to the psychologist. Her son seemed perfectly normal, except for the part where he kept talking to himself. "Is there a reason you talk like someone is there with you?"

"Um…" Hikaru began, trying to think of a reasonable answer.

"Do you have an imaginary friend?" she pressed.

Hikaru snorted, "No, I didn't imagine him. He's… um… damnit."

"Hikaru!" his mom admonished him.

"Sorry, it's just…" Hikaru began again. "He's not an imaginary friend, he's quite real."

"To you," she said simply.

"His Go is real too. So, he's real to the rest of the world," Hikaru pointed out.

"I just thought… it was because you were unique…" she trailed off, trying to understand.

Hikaru sighed, trying to decide if he should tell her or not.

"Okay mom, I'll tell you. Promise you don't faint or anything."

"Hikaru?" Sai asked, surprise at Hikaru's willingness to share.

She nodded hesitantly, "I'll try to… take the news reasonably well."

Hikaru tilted his head, then nodded, "I guess that's the only way anyone could prepare to take the news well enough."

He took a deep breath, "I am haunted by a ghost."

"Don't try to side step in telling the truth," she said, almost scowling. "That's not funny."

"I'm serious mom. It's how I learned to play Go. He died for Go, and he didn't want to stop playing, so he asked God for more time. He got it."

Mitsuko stared at her son, trying to see if her son was pulling one over her. '_He's… telling the truth?_'

"I don't understand, I don't see this ghost, no one can see him, right?"

"Yeah, only I can see him," Hikaru said with a nod.

"He doesn't hurt you or anything does he?" she asked, worried.

"No mom, only when he's very sad about something, then I lose my lunch. That was at the beginning though, and we're getting along great now," he tried to assure her quickly when he saw a panicked look about throwing up.

"Was he really sad during the exam?"

"Nah, that was really a flu, not Sai."

"Sai, huh…" she murmured. "Does anyone else know about Sai?"

"Just three others."

"Your friends?" she assumed.

"No, two of them are adults, and one of them helped me so that I can be a pro and an insei at the same time. The third one is Touya Akira."

"And they believe you? How did you prove it? Can you prove it to me?"

He studied her for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Maybe I can play against one of the three I mentioned. I don't think you understand coordinates, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"When Sai plays, I look the other direction, and have no idea what my opponent is playing. I tell them my coordinates for Sai's hands."

"So, that explains how you were able to play your game, and not really watching Sai's board…" she said with a dawning realization. "I remember your interview with Shinoda-san. The games were so peculiar, I couldn't help but notice…"

"Wow mom, even when you just started playing Go back then…" Hikaru said, and he felt a new sense of respect for her. She chuckled shyly. "You might have made a great professional player if you studied Go earlier."

"Oh stop it, you!" she said, waving him away as she held her other hand to her cheek, trying to hide her blush.

"I'm serious mom. You seem to have a knack for it."

"Well, Shirakawa-san did comment how good I am getting these days…" she commented, still blushing. "This is all so surprising to me, I never knew I would have a knack for strategies."

Beaming at her, "Want to play Go? It's been a little over a week since our last game."

"Of course," she said, joining him on the floor, Hikaru's intent to get on Net Go forgotten, and Sai did not mind.

"Say," she said halfway into the game. "May I play Sai?"

"He'll cru… um…" Hikaru began and winced at Sai's shouts of agreement. "He'll play."

"Can you tell me more about yourself, Sai?" she asked, playing the new game. Sai looked at her in surprise, it was not often when people talked directly to the ghost. Sai smiled, and began to tell a little about himself, answering her questions.

* * *

"I'm playing _who_?" Hikaru asked in exclamation. "Yes… I'll be there. Thank you, Dante-san. Have a good day."

Hikaru hung the phone, marking his match on the calendar and began to write his opponent's name.

Touya Kouyo Meijin.

"Ohh, this will be your first time playing him," Sai exclaimed. Hikaru had never had a chance to play the Meijin himself, always letting Sai play all the matches during the study sessions. Frankly, Hikaru was terrified at the thought of playing such a potent man, and now he had to face the Meijin himself.

'_But, why is he playing against me? How do they decide who to play who?_' Hikaru wondered, entering the kitchen to get a drink.

"Who was that from? Dante-san?" she asked, looking up from her recipe book.

"Yeah, sho dan series match two weeks from now… against Touya Kouyo."

"Oh, Akiko's husband!" she said, eyes wide with recognition. "I haven't personally met him yet… maybe I could go with you?"

"I don't know, mom…" Hikaru hedged, remembering her trip with his dad to Hawaii. "I think you'll be in Hawaii then, unless you can be in two places at the same time."

"Oh," she said, looking extremely crestfallen. "I could cancel…"

"No, no, mom, you should take the vacation!"

She studied her son for a moment, then shook her head. "All right, but I should still meet him sometime soon. From what I understand, he is this player that is the best in the world, yes? Um, alive, of course."

"Yeah…"Hikaru said, and a sweat broke out at his temple. He looked at Sai, easily the best player in the world, alive or dead. "Well, I'm going upstairs to study for a bit. I've a few months left before I'm done with school."

"Of course," she said with an absentminded nod as she resumed reading the book.

* * *

So, I said in the last chapter that this chapter or the next might be the last. I'm eating my words now. But at the very least, I will finish the story soon after a certain point which I won't say when canon-wise. As for the party, it happened, I'm not writing it because not much happens plot wise (and I never liked writing party scenes where nothing happens story-wise, though I should have written it for practice in this chapter... but I digress. Forgive me.)


	13. Chapter 13

Too soon, Hikaru found himself sitting in the _seiza _chair before the board, and Touya Meijin sat at the other end.

"This is our first time playing, isn't it?" Touya asked, Hikaru nodded in answer. "I'm sorry."

"it's fine sir, it's much more fun to watch you play Sai," Hikaru said with a slight wave of his hand.

"Still, I would have liked to see your growth over the past year. Ogata-kun said you have experienced an amazing growth. I would have wanted to witness that for myself. I apologize," he said, bowing.

Hikaru scratched his head, with embarrassment.

They were talking in this room with an air of casualness because of a hold up by the officials and reporters. He closed his eyes to center himself.

'_This is only an exhibition match, nothing more…_' he told himself.

"Hikaru?" Sai asked, watching him from the side. Half his face was covered by his opened fan, studying the two Go players in the room. '_I wish I could play… but this is Hikaru's._'

He shook his head, not allowing himself into begging Hikaru for yet another game against the Meijin.

'_I'll play him later this week, he did ask for the game last time we were there.._'

Content, he opened his eyes again as he put away his fan. The look on Hikaru's face told him that nothing Sai said now would reach his ears.

"All right, shall we get started?"

The officials had come back into the room, and soon the game began.

* * *

"There is nothing more I can do. Thank you for the game," Hikaru said, bowing his head. He had lost by resignation after the start of _yose_. Hikaru calculated to the end, and found he would lose by at least eight moku.

Kouyo bowed, accepting his thanks.

"You do have an impressive Go," Kouyo commented. "This hand here… and there, I thought they were mistakes. Yet, they weren't, and they seem to be a part of your style. Though, I recommend only playing these hands when your opponent are unfamiliar with the way you play."

Hikaru nodded, "I know, the reason I did it for a second time was because I couldn't find a better place to play. So, I did it again, and it worked… again. Sorry, sensei," he said, half grinning.

Kouyo chuckled softly, "Yes, you have bested me in this case. I did not think you would do such a thing again. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…" The two players smiled at each other.

Other people from the viewing room began to filter into the room, wanting to discuss the game, and the discussion of each move began.

* * *

"Hey Sai, let's go out today," Hikaru said, grabbing his bag.

"Eh? Where are we going?" Sai asked, perking up from his spot on the floor before some pile of pages Hikaru had laid down for him to read.

"A surprise, come on!"

"A surprise?" Sai asked, following him out of the house. "Tell me, tell me please!"

"No, Sai, that defeats the purpose of surprising you," Hikaru replied, gleeful.

"Hikaru," Sai begged, drawing out the last vowel in a high pitch.

He studiously ignored Sai's begging and pleadings as he rode the train to a destination unknown.

"Tell me, Hikaru, I can't take it! You haven't surprised me in a long time!"

'_No, Sai! For the last time, shut up or I'm turning around and go home!_' Hikaru snapped as he started getting a headache.

"No, please!" Sai begged, throwing himself on the boy. "I'm sorry! I'll be quiet now, so please…"

Eventually, the ghost grew quieter, and quieter, nervous as Hikaru did not give a reply.

They were silent for the rest of the train ride, making Sai more and more nervous, wondering if he had made the boy angry.

'_I'm sorry_,' Sai thought to Hikaru.

'_Apology accepted,_' Hikaru replied a moment later. Sai's spirits instantly rose, and his face brightened. '_Just… don't do that again._'

"I won't, I won't, Hikaru," Sai promised, waving his hands, a little frantic.

Some time later, Hikaru entered the Go convention, '_Surprise!_'

Sai's eyes widened, his mind was blown by the activity milling about in the place. Half the room was taken up by boards, a majority of them being played upon by players. The rest of the place were of booths, a section cordoned off for lectures, and a shop. The ghost felt speechless, opening and closing his mouth, trying to pick a word to describe his thoughts and feelings.

"Hehehe, like it, eh?" Hikaru asked, walking over to the playing area.

"Like it? This, Hikaru… you've blown my mind!" Sai exclaimed, watching a few games in progress. "Oh, this game is interesting…"

The pair watched a player play a black stone, and they winced.

'_Ouch! That was a mistake!_' Hikaru thought, waiting for the white to take advantage. To their dismay, white did not.

'_No, no, those _are all the_ wrong moves!_' Hikaru thought as he felt himself sweating. '_Man, this is more painful to watch than it is to play a really strong opponent!_'

"It is… It's so entertaining! It's like... what was that phrase you used? Like watching a train wreck, you want to look away, but you can't..." Sai agreed, watching the game a moment longer. "Ahh, I can't take this anymore, let's go somewhere else…!"

Hikaru agreed, and left the playing area and then began browsing different booths. Some asking for donations to fund a school club in another prefecture, or some other similar cause. Others provided information on becoming an insei or a pro. Eventually, Hikaru found themselves browsing the shop area. '_Hm? Gobans for sale…_' Hikaru thought, looking at the different _goban_. He ignored the salesman pitching a talk to a potential customer, how his play would improve immensely if he played on a very good board.

Hikaru noticed something different about the boards. '_Huh? This is advertised as real kaya? That… Sai, what do you think?_'

Sai examined the board closely. "Can you play a stone? It's the only way to be sure…"

Deftly, Hikaru grabbed a black stone and played it on one of the stars.

_Glack_

'_Yes… without a doubt-!_' Hikaru thought and their conversation got interrupted.

"Hey you! Don't you be damaging the board!" the salesman yelled, grabbing Hikaru by the shoulder. "Ah! It's you!" he panicked, backing up.

"What is the meaning of this, sir?" Hikaru asked, gesturing to the false advertisement.

"Ah, um…" he stammered, trying to look confident as he still had the customer with him.

"It's not real kaya, sir," Hikaru told the salesman, wondering if he would fix the mistake. Maybe it was a honest mistake? "You should make sure you are selling the right products."

"Ah, of course, I am sorry, Shindou-sensei…" he said, then looked at the other man. "It happens sometimes, some wood look so similar, it can be an easy mistake."

He hastily corrected the signs advertising as real kaya to new kaya, and adjusted the prices. "Thank you sir, for pointing it out…"

"Have you sold similar boards to others? You need to contact them and explain what happened," Hikaru said, crossing his arms.

"Yes, of course sir… sir, would you be interested in a board?" he asked, still trying to keep the customer's attention.

"Maybe," the other customer said, browsing the _goban_ some more with the salesman. Hikaru browsed with Sai, trusting the salesman to contact previous customers about the mistake. He spotted a _goban_ that was being pitched by the salesman to the customer.

"…back in the day. You can see his signature here… yes, it is authentic, bought it off an antique dealer."

"Wow, that's really something else!" he said, examing carefully. Sai peered closer to see Shuusaku's signature.

"Hikaru… that's not his handwriting!" Sai exclaimed.

Hikaru frowned, looking at the signature carefully. '_Are you sure, Sai?_'

"Yes, and I've never seen him sign this particular board either at the place this man is saying. There's no way you can mistake this and try to sell it!" Sai said, fuming. Hikaru watched the salesman talking to the customer for a moment.

'_Something tells me he's a slease…_' Hikaru thought, wondering how to deal with this one. He did not have proof, and did not want to get kicked out.

"I'm sorry sir, but could you prove the authenticity of his signature?" Hikaru asked, getting the two adults' attention. "I have seen his signature before, and it doesn't look right."

"Ah?" the salesman asked, fretting again. "We-well, I assure you it's real. We've checked."

"Do you mind terribly if I brought a book to compare the signatures? I can't rest easy knowing I've seen a false signature. I am a big fan of Shuusaku, you see. I am almost positive it's a fake."

"What's going on over here?" another man joined the group.

"Eh-eh, this kid… um," the salesman stammered, trying to keep his customer who grew more and more hesitant.

"Hey you, scram," the other man said, pushing Hikaru back.

"Ah—sir!" "Hey!"

"Um, excuse me, I think I'll go somewhere else," the customer said, exiting the area quickly.

"Ahh, no, sir!" the first salesman cried, chasing him.

"You just lost us a customer!" the second said, "Go away or I'll have you escorted out!"

"…Sir, I was only trying to straighten something out," Hikaru said, narrowing his eyes. "But something tells me this was all intentional. The fake kaya _goban_, this fake Shuusaku's _goban_."

"They're real kaya!" he snapped.

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Of course, I'm the one that examined them!"

"And I assume you also wrote Shuusaku's signature too?" Hikaru asked, crossing his arms again.

"I did not! I bought it from an antique dealer!"

"What's this?" another man came over to the pair.

"This kid is causing me lose business!" he said, pointing a finger at Hikaru.

"Ah, isn't this Shindou-sensei?" the official asked, peering at him closely. The salesman paused, then did a double-take.

"Ahh! I am sorry, sir," he said, swallowing. "Um, but you really shouldn't do this sort of thing, please leave."

Hikaru glared at the man.

"I'll leave—for now. I do need to make sure the other guy double check any boards that were falsely sold to others earlier. He did promise that," Hikaru said, then followed the official who had waved for him to come with him.

At a distance, the official turned to Hikaru. "What exactly happened, Shindou-sensei?"

"They were selling new kaya boards as real kaya, sir," Hikaru said, gesturing to the general area of the shop. "And they have a fake Shuusaku's board for sale. I've seen his signature many times, and I'd see it anywhere. It's not Shuusaku's, sir."

"Hm," the man said, thinking. He sighed, "I will check with them to make sure they get the contact list of customers who bought the board thinking it was real kaya. I can do that much for you. However, for Shuusaku's… I'm afraid I cannot do anything at this moment. Perhaps, if you had proof…"

"Can't you just have them not on display, or something?"

The man shook his head, "It's your word against theirs. Gokiso-sensei, the man you were just talking to, is also a pro."

Hikaru grimaced, '_Him? A pro? Seriously? Gah, he has no excuse for thinking new kaya for real kaya!_'

"I understand, sir," Hikaru said with a strained smile. "Please excuse me."

"Hikaru!" Sai yelled, following Hikaru to the playing area. "You have to do something!"

'_I can't Sai, I'm a new pro compared to that fake-faced of a pro. Don't worry, hopefully we'll get this sorted out._'

"But Hikaru—"

'_Hey, it's that Gokiso,_' Hikaru thought, pointing to the man playing the customer he had seen earlier. The pair watched the board. It was supposed to be _shidougo_, but Hikaru saw it was a slaughter.

"Eh… I don't see what else I can do…" the customer said, scratching his head.

"We are playing on a cheap board, you see, perhaps we can play a better game on a real kaya _goban_, hm?" Gokiso said, playing his next hand.

"He can come back from this, Hikaru," Sai said, examining the game's progress.

'_Really? He can?_' Hikaru thought, looking at the various places of stones.

"There's nothing else I can see, I think…"

"Sir," Hikaru interrupted, "You can come back from this!"

"Oi, shut up!" Gokiso said, glaring at the boy. "Stop interfering!"

"Ah, um… I think I'll leave here, you can play for me if you want…" the other said, extremely uncomfortable by the pair of angry pros. Hikaru immediately took his seat.

"Heh, if you lose, you better leave this establishment immediately!"

"And if I win, you get rid of Shuusaku's board," Hikaru snapped back as he slapped down the next hand with a loud clack as ordered by Sai.

"Hah!"

* * *

'_Who… is this kid?_' Gokiso thought, staring at the board with terror.

"I… resign," he said, his head still bowed.

"Go get rid of that board," Hikaru said, not letting up his fury at the other pro.

"W-who are you, kid?" he asked, looking at the boy with fear. "I thought that winning streak of yours… only applied to the lower dan pros.

"Are you getting rid of the board or not?" Hikaru growled. Sai's anger fed his rage.

"I… I will, sir," Gokiso said, bowing again. "I am sorry for the deception I used upon my customers."

"Eh? Is this the game, then?" a man asked, looking at the board.

"Ah! Please don't look," Gokiso said, wanting to cover the board to mess up the placement of the stones, but a glance at the boy froze him. The wrath of the younger pro made him feel ice in his veins. "It's… an embarrassing game, Kurata-san."

"Hm…" he muttered, looking at the board. "Interesting shapes. I want to know how this was played."

"I can't, please excuse me," Gokiso said, scrambling out of there.

"You better keep your promises, Gokiso!" Hikaru yelled after him. "If not, I'll check!"

Gokiso looked back briefly and nodded tersely then walked away quickly.

"What was that?" Kurata asked, looking at Hikaru. "Ah, I know you! Yer the kid! You ruined my chance of having the winning streak last year!"

Hikaru winced, "I'm sorry, sir."

"You scare me, you know," he continued. Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what to say.

"But anyway, what _was_ that about? What promises?"

"Oh, the shop were selling new kaya as real kaya boards. Then I saw a fake Shuusaku's board with his false signature."

"Really? Huh, how do you know all that?" Kurata asked, sitting down in the chair vacated by Gokiso.

"Well, I played a stone on the supposedly real kaya to make sure, but I was sure it was beng falsely advertised. I had them make promise to me to correct any mistakes with the ones that were previously sold with other customers. As for Shuusaku… I'm a big fan of his, and I have seen his signature many times. It was clear as day when I saw the calligraphy."

"Interesting," Kurata muttered, clearing the board. "Not only you can easily tell the difference between real and new, but you also know Shuusaku's handwriting."

Hikaru shrugged a shoulder, awkward by the man's words.

"I will also check to make sure the shop is being honest. Now, can you show me how you took over this game?"

'_Sai? How were the stones placed before we took over? I'm not sure if my memory serves._'

Sai and Hikaru then replayed the game, and discussed it afterwards with Kurata.

"—and that move… This… game… is seriously scary," Kurata said, staring at the board with a sense of fear. '_I was right to fear those behind me!_' "But you know, Gokiso is a wahsed-up pro. No need to be proud of this game or anything. He may be a 7-dan, but he's now something like a 3 or 4 dan."

"Um… right... I understand," Hikaru said after glancing at his watch. "I need to go now. Could you go check on the shop for me please? I don't want to make things more awkward for them as it is…"

"Of course, I will. Nice to meet you, Shindou-kun."

"You too, Kurata-san," Hikaru said, bowing, then took his leave with Sai.

"That was fun! I am so happy, thank you, Hikaru!" Sai said as they left the building. Hikaru grinned.

"Any time, Sai," Hikaru said, going down the stairs to the subway station. "That was some adventure we had."

"We did, we did! That was an exciting game!"

"Glad we put him into his place," Hikaru said as he scowled, remembering Gokiso. "He better not cheat like that again."

* * *

Mitsuko sighed, fixing Hikaru's tie. "It's been a year already? My, time flies… I wonder if Akiko will be there too? It's been awhile since we've had lunch…" she said, smiling. "How is Sai doing?"

"I am doing very well, very excited to be getting my award!" Sai said as Hikaru relayed his words.

She chuckled. "Seeing both of you on stage will be a great honor to see."

"Two of who?" Masao asked, entering the room as he put on his suit jacket.

"Oh, his friend," Mitsuko said, covering her tracks. "Friends, I should say?"

"Yeah," Hikaru replied, mentally wincing. Masao did not know about Sai yet, and all agreed upon that he remain in the dark. Hikaru was glad his dad was able to schedule his work around this award ceremony this year, he wanted to show off his success to him, assuring him that he did have a future in being a professional Go player. Especially with Sai's winning streak and win ratio. Unfortunately, they did not play enough games to have the most wins, Kurata took care of that.

He vowed to have that award next year for Sai. He wanted as much recognition as possible for Sai as was deserving of the ghost. Sai blinked, and opened his fan.

Sai covered half his face, reading his thoughts about himself.

'_Aw Sai, are you blushing? It's true! Eventually, you'll play more and more games! Soon, we can finally go places like Go exhibits and seminars! We didn't really do much of that last year because I was an insei, and things were slow in the winter…_'

Yes, Hikaru decided, the next year was going to be an exciting year as both were now pros. Maybe he could finally catch up to Touya.

"All right, let's get going," his mom announced and the family departed.

* * *

"Yo Shindou!" Waya greeted, punching Hikaru in the arm lightly.

"Hey Waya," Hikaru said with a return punch. "Seen Isumi?"

His parents had been left behind with Touya's parents—his parents were finally meeting Touya Meijin formally for the first time.

"He's coming," Waya replied, scanning the crowd. "Finally pros, huh? Though you've been one for a year now…"

"Yeah, and not," Hikaru said, and grinned as Waya stared at him for a moment and then rolled his eyes.

"You and your mystery," he said, sighing. "Ah, Isumi!" he called out, waving. Soon, they were joined by the third new pro.

"Hello," they greeted each other.

"Seen Touya?" Hikaru asked, looking around. He got two pair of shaking heads in answer. "Hmmf… Man, I wonder where the food is? I'm hungry," Hikaru asked, looking around.

"Is your stomach a black hole, Shindou?" Waya asked. "Though, I should be the one to talk, I'm hungry too."

Isumi grimaced at his friends and he looked around. "Ah, I see a table with food over there."

"Let's go!" the other two, bolting in that direction.

'_Geez!_' Isumi thought, walking quickly to keep up. '_Ah, is that Touya over there?_' he wondered, seeing the other boy to his left. He veered off a little, knowing where his friends would be for the next five minutes. "Touya-san, hello."

"Hello… I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"Isumi Shinichiro," he replied, trying not to wince at not being recognized. "Shindou was asking where you were. Do you want to join us?"

"Oh, um, sure…" he replied with awkwardness. '_My rival… we're going to face each other on the first day… should I even see him now?_'

Too late for Touya to change his mind as he followed Isumi to the table and got noticed by Hikaru.

"Touya!"

"Shindou."

Hikaru stared at his friend for a moment, "Did something happen?"

'_We're facing off in the real match! Your first game!_' he wanted to yell, but instead said, "Nothing, you'll know soon enough."

He helped himself to a cube of cheddar cheese.

"How soon? You know I don't like to be kept in the dark for long," Hikaru said, frowning as he took a slice of ham, cheese, and cracker and stacked it.

"You'll know by the end of today," was the reply. "I'm sorry, I need to excuse myself."

Hikaru watched his friend-rival leave in puzzlement. '_Whatever, I'll know later I guess,' _he thought as he ate his cheese-cracker snack, joining the conversation with his two friends.

An official soon announced for people to take their seats, and Hikaru waved to Waya and Isumi as he went to find his parents.

* * *

"You've done really well in the last year, son," Masao said, smiling as he patted his son's shoulder. "Good job, I can understand what an achievement that was, with that many wins."

"Thanks, dad," Hikaru said, feeling a little disconnected as his thoughts whirled with the new information he got.

'_I'm facing Touya in my first match… is someone pulling the strings?_' he wondered.

"I'm heading to bed, thanks for being there to support me, mom, dad," Hikaru said as he set aside his shoes by the front door.

"Glad to be there, Hikaru, I had a good time," his mom said, pulling Hikaru closer to kiss his forehead. "Good night."

"Aw mom…!" Hikaru said, blushing, but grinned. "Night mom, dad."

In his room, he collapsed to the floor. "Man, what luck, I have to face Touya. I thought I would have more time. I'm not ready to face him!"

"I'm sure you'll do fine, you didn't stop studying since you've passed the exams, you know," Sai said, trying to make the other feel better. "You've grown stronger since."

Hikaru looked at Sai for a moment, then nodded. "True, I'm getting closer to you."

Feeling much more reassured, he got ready for bed.

* * *

Sorry for the slower update, but as Nanowrimo ended, I can slow down a little. This chapter is edited.

I have an idea or two for another story in HikaGo once this story completes. Hint: Hikaru will have Ushers' Syndrome.


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